Pengsoo promotes canned tuna for Dongwon F&B

Dongwon F&B's new ad features Pengsoo, a giant penguin character who is enjoying wild popularity in Korea. / Courtesy of Dongwon F&B

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Dongwon F&B will collaborate with Pengsoo, a penguin character with educational TV station EBS who is receiving nationwide popularity, to promote its canned tuna products, the company said Thursday.

The food company said it will use the character for TV commercials, collaborative goods and other types of ads for new products. Their collaboration will be featured on Pengsoo's YouTube channel Giant PengTV.

The 10-year-old penguin became a hit with millennials following its television and radio appearances, as well as its own YouTube channel which now boasts more than 1.5 million subscribers.

Pengsoo, which claims it is originally from the Antarctic, is well-known to be a huge fan of tuna.

On YouTube channel, the penguin character is often seen asking producers and even EBS chairman to get some tuna for him as a reward.

In September, Pengsoo made a parody video of Dongwon F&B's canned tuna commercial. He also stockpiled of canned tuna at his new home, sponsored by POSCO, to show how much he loves the brand.

“There has been strong demand for collaboration from Pengsoo's fans, so we prepared a lot to create interesting content with him,” a Dongwon F&B official said. “We will make sure Pengsoo walks along the road with tuna.”

Pengsoo's high popularity has transformed into a lucrative business.

Pengsoo's essay titled “Today Pengsoo, Tomorrow Pengsoo” has topped the list of best sellers for the fourth consecutive week. Over 2 million copies were sold out in one minute after the book was released online for pre-orders.

Eland World's apparel brand SPAO partnered with Pengsoo to launch its clothing goods from mid-December to promote its 10th anniversary.

LG Household & Health, a cosmetic manufacturer, also worked with Pengsoo.

Pengsoo visited LG H&H's Nature Collection store to receive training as a beauty consultant and was featured in the company's commercial.

Vivaldi Park ski resort also announced a collaboration with Pengsoo. It made a photo zone where visitors can make memories with Pengsoo and installed a sculpture of Pengsoo.

The character will visit Snowy Land, a winter-themed park at a ski resort, to create YouTube content, it said.