Why Did the Startup 'Ace Bed' Sell Beds 60 Years Ago?

Ahn Yusu "Got Business Idea from Watching US Troops During Korean War"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] "When I saw the US military using beds during the Korean War, I was convinced that our people's sleeping arrangements would change from ondol to beds."

Ahn Yusu, Chairman of the ACE Kyungam Foundation (photo), revealed this as the reason he entered the bed business. He fled south from Hwanghae Province during the war and encountered the US military using beds for the first time while they were stationed there, which inspired him to start the bed business.

ACE Bed Industry, established in 1963 in Geumho-dong, Seoul, is the predecessor of the current ACE Bed. In 1977, the company changed its name to the current one. Believing that quality control and talent development are essential for a company to survive and grow, they introduced standardization and quality management and challenged themselves to obtain the KS mark. For this, legal manufacturing and inspection facilities were necessary, and after relocating the factory to Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province in 1978, they acquired the KS mark, enabling them to grow into a specialized bed company and prosper.

This is why Chairman Ahn donates rice to Seongnam City every year during holidays. His wish is that "no one should go hungry during the holidays, which should be the warmest time of the year." Although he has considered other food items like pork, he believes that "rice is the most filling food."

The period when ACE Bed established its corporate identity and prospered was when it was located in Seongnam. Chairman Ahn has lived in Seongnam since then and plans to continue his donation activities for the local community. The ACE Bed headquarters is still located in Seongnam. Most customers think the headquarters is in Gangnam, Seoul, but that is the Seoul sales office.

In 1994, ACE Bed became the world's first bed company to obtain ISO 9001 certification, and in 1996, it was listed on the KOSDAQ market. It solidified its position as Korea's number one specialized bed company by acquiring the country's first hygiene safety HS mark (Korea Testing & Research Institute for Household & Environmental Articles) in 1999 and the Korean AS Excellent Company certification (Korea Agency for Technology and Standards) in 2001.

As the company settled, it also began donating. Chairman Ahn explained, "ACE Bed was able to grow into a global bed company thanks to the elderly who devoted their youth to national development and their support." He added, "We started donations with the belief that ACE Bed should return corporate profits to the people and society." He also expressed his conviction that "in Korea's aging society, it is not desirable to leave welfare for the elderly solely to the government."

In 1999, he donated rice for the first time during Lunar New Year. At that time, 131 elderly living alone in Seongnam City each received one 20kg bag of rice, costing 13 million won. This Chuseok, he donated 5,900 bags of 10kg rice worth 140 million won to Seongnam City, continuing his charitable work for 24 years.

Chairman Ahn said, "Based on the management philosophy of 'returning corporate profits to society,' the purpose is not temporary support but steady donations so that neighbors in need can receive real benefits," and added, "We will continue to donate in the future."

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