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|
Native name | (주)세종몰 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Stationary manufacturing |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | , South Korea |
| Brands | Hagoromo Full Touch Chalk |
| Owner | Shin Hyun Seok |
| Website |
en |
Sejong Mall ( Korean: 세종몰), [1] stylized as SEJONGMALL, [2] is a South Korean stationary manufacturer known primarily for producing the Hagoromo Full Touch chalk brand. The company is based in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. [3]
The Hagoromo chalk brand was originally produced by the family-owned Japanese company Hagoromo Bungu. Sejong Mall was founded in 2009 by Shin Hyung Seok as an exclusive importer of Hagoromo to South Korea. By 2014, Hagoromo Bungu's chief Watanabe Takayasu had no chosen successor, and he rejected several Japanese companies that offered to continue producing the brand. Watanabe announced that the company would close. Shin, who had good rapport with Watanabe, then received permission to continue producing the chalk, and the knowledge and equipment was transferred over to Sejong Mall.
Hagoromo Full Touch began production in 2016, and has since become popular in not only South Korea but also a number of international markets. Watanabe continued to approve of the chalk until his death in 2020. The chalk has been evaluated as being indistinguishable from the original, and the company takes significant effort to maintain the original practices.
The Hagoromo chalk brand, beloved by mathematicians, [4] [5] was originally produced by Hagoromo Bungu, a Japanese company operating since the 1930s. [4] In 2003, South Korean hagwon math teacher Shin Hyung Seok (신형석) visited Japan to learn about their cram school systems. During this trip, he encountered Hagoromo chalk for the first time. [6] [7] He immediately became a fan of the brand. [6] When he returned to Korea with boxes of the flourescent colored Hagoromo chalk variants, students praised the colors as easily legible. Upon running out of Hagoromo chalk, he searched to see if any businesses in South Korea imported the brand, and was disappointed to learn that none did. [6] [8] [7] He also asked if any manufacturers were willing to make flourescent chalk colors, and all reportedly refused, with some claiming that there wasn't a market for such colors and high-end chalk brands. [7]
In 2006, Shin reached out to Hagoromo Bungu's president, Watanabe Takayasu. [6] [5] Coincidentally, Watanabe's second daughter was able to serve as a translator; she was fluent in Korean and had previously studied abroad in South Korea. [5] [3] [9] She reportedly visited South Korea multiple times a year with her father because she enjoyed South Korean cuisine. [7] [9] Shin received approval to operate as the exclusive importer of Hagoromo products to South Korea; this resulted in the creation of Sejong Mall in 2009. [5] The two reportedly quickly built a positive rapport. [3] Hagoromo quickly became successful in South Korea; at some point reportedly around 80–90% of instructors at hagwons adopted the brand. [7]
Hagoromo Bungu had been owned for three generations by the same family, but by 2014 lacked a successor. [4] None of Watanabe's three daughters, nor any of their husbands, were willing to take over the business. [4] [7] Watanabe had reportedly tried sharing his equipment and recipe for the chalk with other companies, but was dissatisfied with their output quality. [5] [7] Furthermore, company sales had been dropping along with the overall decline in the chalk industry. [5] [3] Around that time, Watanabe's stomach cancer returned. Watanabe called Shin and informed him of his intent to close the company, and apologized for it affecting Shin's business. [5] Shin asked if Watanabe would let him continue making the chalk, but Watanabe initially refused. He warned Shin about how difficult the manufacturing industry was. [6] Eventually, Watanabe was convinced to allow it; Watanabe's daughter reportedly tearfully thanked Shin for managing to do so. [7]
In early 2015, Watanabe sold the machines to Shin for a notably low price. Each machine, valued around ₩80 million won (US$80,000), was sold for ₩1 million (US$900). [7] [5] Shin imported the machines in sixteen 40-foot containers from Nagoya to Pocheon. [5] [10] [9] After the factory was set up, Watanabe, then wheelchair-bound, visited South Korea and expressed his approval at the factory. He taught Shin how to create the chalk. [7] A number of Hagoromo Bungu's Zainichi Korean employees went over as technical advisors to ensure that the manufacturing was faithful to the original. [11] [3] In 2019, it was reported that the chalk imported raw materials from Japan, including sea shells, in order to promote consistency. [7] Reportedly, some people thought the new Hagoromo Full Touch chalk was fake; Watanabe and Shin reportedly took a photo together to show that Shin had Watanabe's blessing. [11] The brand has since been evaluated by at least one mathematician as indistinguishable from the original product. [9]
In order to begin working as a manufacturer, Shin initially invested around ₩700 million into the business. [5] In 2016, Sejong Mall began to produce the chalk. [3] [5] Their sales by year increased from ₩300 million in 2016, to ₩600 million in 2017, to ₩900 million in 2018, [5] to ₩2 billion in 2019. [11] Overseas sales improved from ₩50 million in 2016, to ₩100 million in 2017, and ₩300 million in 2018. [5] In 2019, overseas sales were around 40% of the total. [11] Sales were reportedly improved by foreign documentaries and news coverage on the Hagoromo brand and the transfer. [8] [10] Sejong Mall has reportedly attempted to position the chalk as a high-end product in the market, and has made efforts to design the packaging accordingly. [11]
The handoff of the Hagoromo brand has been impacted by often-fraught Japan–South Korea relations. [7] Japanese broadcaster NHK reportedly produced a 30 minute documentary that reportedly critically described Hagoromo's hand-off as the transfer of Japanese technology to a foreign country. [7] Some South Koreans expressed disapproval of the brand, as it was originally from Japan. [7] Shin and Watanabe defended their positive relationship and expressed hope that relations between their countries will improve. [4] In January 2020, Shin visited Watanabe, and the two promised to meet again when the weather became warmer. Amidst travel restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, [3] Watanabe died in July that year [9] without them having met again. [3] According to Shin, Watanabe continued advising Shin on the company until his death. [6]
The Japanese Chalk Association reportedly banned imports of Hagoromo Full Touch from South Korea for five years, with the concern that it would destabilize the market. [11] In 2017, the company began importing the brand to Vietnam. The product is also sold in Europe and America, particularly through the e-commerce website Amazon. [11] In 2020, it was reported that China was the company's largest market, followed by the United States. [11] In 2020, it was reported that the company was developing a writing product that would work on glass. [11] In 2022, it was reported that the company was developing other writing utensils, such as pens. [8]
- ^ "Company Profile". tradekorea.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Company Introduction". tradekorea.com. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ogawa, Takashi (2021-03-01). "The South Korean keeping Japan's top chalk from fading out". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e Kim, Dahee (2019-08-11). "Japan's Hagoromo chalk continues its legacy in S. Korea". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nam, Hyun-woo (2019-07-03). "Former cram school teacher keeps legacy of Hagoromo chalk". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f 곽, 창렬; 김, 세린 (2022-03-25). "수학을 풀다가 분필에 빠져들었다… '분필계의 롤스로이스' 아시나요". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "[인터뷰] 일제 명품 분필 '하고로모' 인수, 한국서 생산한 학원강사 스토리". 비즈한국 (in Korean). 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c 박, 혜림 (2022-08-18). "[이슈人이슈] '하고로모 분필' 신형석 세종몰 대표". Incheon Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e Gopal, Trisha; Omanoff, Jacqueline; Chung, Evan (2020-08-22). "How a brand of chalk achieved cult status among mathematicians". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ a b "`딱딱` 풀리는 수학 난제...허준이 필즈상 뒤엔 이 `명품` 있었다" (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via ZUM 뉴스.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 고, 은빛 (2020-05-07). "[넥스트K] 스탠퍼드·베이징大 칠판엔 '명품 K분필'이 있다". Hankyung (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- Homepage (in English)
- Why the World’s Best Mathematicians Are Hoarding Chalk on YouTube – the video that improved sales for the company
| Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 4 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 2,725 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
Native name | (주)세종몰 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Stationary manufacturing |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | , South Korea |
| Brands | Hagoromo Full Touch Chalk |
| Owner | Shin Hyun Seok |
| Website |
en |
Sejong Mall ( Korean: 세종몰), [1] stylized as SEJONGMALL, [2] is a South Korean stationary manufacturer known primarily for producing the Hagoromo Full Touch chalk brand. The company is based in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. [3]
The Hagoromo chalk brand was originally produced by the family-owned Japanese company Hagoromo Bungu. Sejong Mall was founded in 2009 by Shin Hyung Seok as an exclusive importer of Hagoromo to South Korea. By 2014, Hagoromo Bungu's chief Watanabe Takayasu had no chosen successor, and he rejected several Japanese companies that offered to continue producing the brand. Watanabe announced that the company would close. Shin, who had good rapport with Watanabe, then received permission to continue producing the chalk, and the knowledge and equipment was transferred over to Sejong Mall.
Hagoromo Full Touch began production in 2016, and has since become popular in not only South Korea but also a number of international markets. Watanabe continued to approve of the chalk until his death in 2020. The chalk has been evaluated as being indistinguishable from the original, and the company takes significant effort to maintain the original practices.
The Hagoromo chalk brand, beloved by mathematicians, [4] [5] was originally produced by Hagoromo Bungu, a Japanese company operating since the 1930s. [4] In 2003, South Korean hagwon math teacher Shin Hyung Seok (신형석) visited Japan to learn about their cram school systems. During this trip, he encountered Hagoromo chalk for the first time. [6] [7] He immediately became a fan of the brand. [6] When he returned to Korea with boxes of the flourescent colored Hagoromo chalk variants, students praised the colors as easily legible. Upon running out of Hagoromo chalk, he searched to see if any businesses in South Korea imported the brand, and was disappointed to learn that none did. [6] [8] [7] He also asked if any manufacturers were willing to make flourescent chalk colors, and all reportedly refused, with some claiming that there wasn't a market for such colors and high-end chalk brands. [7]
In 2006, Shin reached out to Hagoromo Bungu's president, Watanabe Takayasu. [6] [5] Coincidentally, Watanabe's second daughter was able to serve as a translator; she was fluent in Korean and had previously studied abroad in South Korea. [5] [3] [9] She reportedly visited South Korea multiple times a year with her father because she enjoyed South Korean cuisine. [7] [9] Shin received approval to operate as the exclusive importer of Hagoromo products to South Korea; this resulted in the creation of Sejong Mall in 2009. [5] The two reportedly quickly built a positive rapport. [3] Hagoromo quickly became successful in South Korea; at some point reportedly around 80–90% of instructors at hagwons adopted the brand. [7]
Hagoromo Bungu had been owned for three generations by the same family, but by 2014 lacked a successor. [4] None of Watanabe's three daughters, nor any of their husbands, were willing to take over the business. [4] [7] Watanabe had reportedly tried sharing his equipment and recipe for the chalk with other companies, but was dissatisfied with their output quality. [5] [7] Furthermore, company sales had been dropping along with the overall decline in the chalk industry. [5] [3] Around that time, Watanabe's stomach cancer returned. Watanabe called Shin and informed him of his intent to close the company, and apologized for it affecting Shin's business. [5] Shin asked if Watanabe would let him continue making the chalk, but Watanabe initially refused. He warned Shin about how difficult the manufacturing industry was. [6] Eventually, Watanabe was convinced to allow it; Watanabe's daughter reportedly tearfully thanked Shin for managing to do so. [7]
In early 2015, Watanabe sold the machines to Shin for a notably low price. Each machine, valued around ₩80 million won (US$80,000), was sold for ₩1 million (US$900). [7] [5] Shin imported the machines in sixteen 40-foot containers from Nagoya to Pocheon. [5] [10] [9] After the factory was set up, Watanabe, then wheelchair-bound, visited South Korea and expressed his approval at the factory. He taught Shin how to create the chalk. [7] A number of Hagoromo Bungu's Zainichi Korean employees went over as technical advisors to ensure that the manufacturing was faithful to the original. [11] [3] In 2019, it was reported that the chalk imported raw materials from Japan, including sea shells, in order to promote consistency. [7] Reportedly, some people thought the new Hagoromo Full Touch chalk was fake; Watanabe and Shin reportedly took a photo together to show that Shin had Watanabe's blessing. [11] The brand has since been evaluated by at least one mathematician as indistinguishable from the original product. [9]
In order to begin working as a manufacturer, Shin initially invested around ₩700 million into the business. [5] In 2016, Sejong Mall began to produce the chalk. [3] [5] Their sales by year increased from ₩300 million in 2016, to ₩600 million in 2017, to ₩900 million in 2018, [5] to ₩2 billion in 2019. [11] Overseas sales improved from ₩50 million in 2016, to ₩100 million in 2017, and ₩300 million in 2018. [5] In 2019, overseas sales were around 40% of the total. [11] Sales were reportedly improved by foreign documentaries and news coverage on the Hagoromo brand and the transfer. [8] [10] Sejong Mall has reportedly attempted to position the chalk as a high-end product in the market, and has made efforts to design the packaging accordingly. [11]
The handoff of the Hagoromo brand has been impacted by often-fraught Japan–South Korea relations. [7] Japanese broadcaster NHK reportedly produced a 30 minute documentary that reportedly critically described Hagoromo's hand-off as the transfer of Japanese technology to a foreign country. [7] Some South Koreans expressed disapproval of the brand, as it was originally from Japan. [7] Shin and Watanabe defended their positive relationship and expressed hope that relations between their countries will improve. [4] In January 2020, Shin visited Watanabe, and the two promised to meet again when the weather became warmer. Amidst travel restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, [3] Watanabe died in July that year [9] without them having met again. [3] According to Shin, Watanabe continued advising Shin on the company until his death. [6]
The Japanese Chalk Association reportedly banned imports of Hagoromo Full Touch from South Korea for five years, with the concern that it would destabilize the market. [11] In 2017, the company began importing the brand to Vietnam. The product is also sold in Europe and America, particularly through the e-commerce website Amazon. [11] In 2020, it was reported that China was the company's largest market, followed by the United States. [11] In 2020, it was reported that the company was developing a writing product that would work on glass. [11] In 2022, it was reported that the company was developing other writing utensils, such as pens. [8]
- ^ "Company Profile". tradekorea.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Company Introduction". tradekorea.com. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ogawa, Takashi (2021-03-01). "The South Korean keeping Japan's top chalk from fading out". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e Kim, Dahee (2019-08-11). "Japan's Hagoromo chalk continues its legacy in S. Korea". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nam, Hyun-woo (2019-07-03). "Former cram school teacher keeps legacy of Hagoromo chalk". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f 곽, 창렬; 김, 세린 (2022-03-25). "수학을 풀다가 분필에 빠져들었다… '분필계의 롤스로이스' 아시나요". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "[인터뷰] 일제 명품 분필 '하고로모' 인수, 한국서 생산한 학원강사 스토리". 비즈한국 (in Korean). 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ a b c 박, 혜림 (2022-08-18). "[이슈人이슈] '하고로모 분필' 신형석 세종몰 대표". Incheon Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e Gopal, Trisha; Omanoff, Jacqueline; Chung, Evan (2020-08-22). "How a brand of chalk achieved cult status among mathematicians". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ a b "`딱딱` 풀리는 수학 난제...허준이 필즈상 뒤엔 이 `명품` 있었다" (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2024-07-28 – via ZUM 뉴스.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 고, 은빛 (2020-05-07). "[넥스트K] 스탠퍼드·베이징大 칠판엔 '명품 K분필'이 있다". Hankyung (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- Homepage (in English)
- Why the World’s Best Mathematicians Are Hoarding Chalk on YouTube – the video that improved sales for the company