Hallyu stars fuel red ginseng's popularity
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By Lee Hyo-sik
Below, popular actor Song Joong-ki consumes a red ginseng tonic, produced by Korea Ginseng Corp. (KGC), in an image captured from the KBS TV drama, “Descendants of the Sun.” Top, Kim Woo-bin is also seen consuming the same product in another KBS TV drama, “Uncontrollably Fond.”
Red ginseng products have become a hot seller in China and around Asia after Song Joong-ki and other popular actors have been seen recently in TV dramas drinking a red ginseng tonic produced by the Korea Ginseng Corp. (KGC).
KGC’s Hongsam Jeong Everytime, a tube-shaped, easy-to-carry product that contains red ginseng tonic, has also appeared on entertainment programs, further fueling its popularity among hallyu (the Korean cultural wave) fans in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries.
The company has seen sales of its red ginseng extract and other products soar both at home and abroad on the back of the product placements.
In particular, the KBS TV drama “Descendants of the Sun,” which aired simultaneously in Korea and China early this year, turned hundreds of thousands of Chinese viewers into loyal consumers of Hongsam Jeong Everytime and other KGC products after Song was seen consuming the ginseng tonic.
The drama created a sensation in China, making Song the most-searched entertainer on Chinese websites.
Another KBS drama, “Uncontrollably Fond” which aired in July, sparked interest again in Hongsam Jeong Everytime as lead actor Kim Woo-bin was shown drinking the tonic multiple times.
“The popular Korean TV dramas have raised interest in red ginseng and its health-boosting effects among Chinese consumers,” a KGC spokesman said. “In China, red ginseng is normally regarded as medicine, something that people take when they get sick. But the actors’ casual consumption of the red ginseng extract has helped changed that perception, which has bolstered our exports to the mainland and other Chinese-speaking countries.”
He said a growing number of young Chinese people, many of whom are hallyu fans, have turned their eyes to made-in-Korea red ginseng products. “We will continue to promote our products in China and other Asian countries through hallyu marketing,” he added.
According to many research studies, red ginseng’s main remedial effects include strengthening the immune system, stamina and blood circulation. Ginseng’s saponin component is known to invigorate the body.