Kyowon Red Pen Expands Its Reach to Infants and Toddlers

Kyowon Group's preschool and elementary education brand, Red Pen, is making a full-fledged entry into the infant and toddler (24-32 months) market. As early as the end of April, the company plans to launch its first dedicated educational product for infants and toddlers, extending its business domain, which has previously focused on preschool and elementary (ages 4-13), down to the infant stage. After confirming market potential with the release of health functional foods for children, Kyowon now aims to broaden its reach in its core educational sector.

According to industry sources on April 9, Kyowon Red Pen is set to introduce a convergence education (STEAM) play kit for infants and toddlers at the end of this month. STEAM is an educational method that fosters creative thinking by integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The new product is an integrated package that combines educational kits, related books, and professional instructor management services, and is the first dedicated product designed specifically for infants and toddlers.

An infant is using Kyowon Group's "Red Pen Smart Learning." Kyowon Group

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The core of the new product is the cultivation of "creative convergence thinking skills." The goal is to systematically develop thinking skills-essential competencies in the age of artificial intelligence (AI)-from early childhood. Through this, Red Pen aims to expand its existing preschool and elementary-focused portfolio to include infants and toddlers, and to capture the early childhood education market, which centers on play and hands-on experiences.

Previously, Red Pen had initially explored the potential of the infant and toddler market outside the educational sector. In January 2024, the company signed a business agreement with Bebecook, a company specializing in infant and toddler foods, and conducted joint campaigns. In April of the same year, Red Pen accelerated its business diversification by launching "Brainy I," a health functional food for young children. This product exceeded cumulative sales of 16 billion won within just three weeks of its release.

This expansion strategy is ultimately aimed at securing customer lifetime value (LTV). The intention is to establish early brand contact at the infant and toddler stage and build a structure that naturally connects this touchpoint to learning materials and educational content in the future, thereby achieving both a lock-in effect and revenue stability.

A Kyowon Red Pen representative stated, "This year, we plan to consistently introduce educational content that strengthens children's creative convergence thinking and self-directed learning skills, including science encyclopedias that cover topics such as space and advanced science."

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