The 'Korea Filter (KF)' That Shined Even Brighter During the COVID-19 Crisis

Minister Park Young-sun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (right in the photo) visited Evergreen located in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province on the 18th and presented a plaque of appreciation to Lee Seung-hwan, CEO of Evergreen (left). Photo by Korea Federation of SMEs

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] "It would have been best if the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis had never occurred in the first place, but now the government and private sector are working together to overcome it. We will supply all masks without leaving any stock." (Lee Seunghwan, CEO of Evergreen)

During the COVID-19 crisis, the 'Good Mask Company' is gaining attention. The KF (Korea Filter) mask quality standard certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is highly trusted not only domestically but also overseas, establishing itself as another brand that continues the high status of K-brands.

Evergreen, established in 1996, is the first company in Korea to successfully localize mask production based purely on domestic technology and capital, and has obtained global certifications from five major regions (the United States, Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Japan, China).

Recently, when the 'mask crisis' occurred due to COVID-19, Evergreen gained attention by proactively supplying masks to Korean companies entering China through the Korea Federation of SMEs. Previously, partner factories of Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics located in Shandong Province, China, faced the risk of halting operations due to a 'mask shortage,' but thanks to Evergreen's mask supply, they were able to receive factory operation approval from the Chinese government.

On the afternoon of the 18th, Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, visited Evergreen headquarters to present a plaque of appreciation, saying, "It was a tense situation where if three wiring harness factories in Shandong Province, China, that experienced mask shortages had stopped operating, there would have been a chain reaction causing finished product factories in Korea to stop as well. I came personally to thank Evergreen, which practiced the spirit of living together especially in difficult times."

CEO Lee said, "In 24 years of producing masks, I have experienced shortages about eight times, but the current intensity is the strongest. We have maintained management with the idea of not making much profit, and especially when doing 'good deeds' like this, I thought it would be better to sell at old prices."

Recently, Evergreen provided one million masks to Public Home Shopping at nearly no margin, selling them for 1,000 won each to help distribute them evenly to the elderly and vulnerable groups. The apartment-style factory located in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, is operating 24 hours a day at full capacity, producing 200,000 masks daily. Previously, it produced 100,000 masks per day, but production doubled after COVID-19.

CEO Lee stated, "Currently, since it is an 'emergency situation,' the Anyang factory is running two shifts 24 hours a day, but once the situation is somewhat resolved, we plan to move next month to the 'smart factory' in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, which was built in advance."

According to Evergreen, recently, annual contract proposals have also come from Walmart and H Mart in the United States.

CEO Lee said, "Korea is the only country where masks are managed at the national level through KF certification by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Even without promotion, only KF94 masks are sought after in Europe and the United States. Recently, proposals to purchase masks have also come from Japan." KF94 is Korea's mask certification standard granted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, meaning it filters out 94% of fine particles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.