made in Korea Regional
made in Korea Regional Spotlight Korean Innovations Inspire at IFA From sonic backpacks to slow juicers, Korean companies bring a wealth of creativity to Berlin FACTS & FIGURES The Korea - EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took effect on 1st July 2011. Thanks to the agreement, exporters will save €1.6 billion annually from not paying import duties. Overall, this is the most ambitious tariff elimination achieved in any of the EU's bilateral trade agreements. Currently, EU exporters of consumer electronics and household appliances, from television sets to computers or microwave ovens, mobile phones or telecom equipment, are obliged to duplicate cumbersome and expensive testing and certification procedures in order to sell in South Korea. Under the FTA, South Korea will generally recognise European certificates and test results. Therefore no duplicative tests or certification will be required. BACKGROUND South Korea was designated a priority FTA partner in the Global Europe trade policy strategy of 2006. Global Europe argued that a comprehensive and ambitious FTA with South Korea, aiming at the highest possible degree of trade liberalisation including far-reaching liberalisation of services and investment, was clearly in the interests of both sides. On 16 September 2010 the Council approved the FTA and the Agreement was officially signed on 6 October 2010 in the margin of the EU-South Korea Summit in Brussels. It has provisionally been applied since 1 July 2011. By Richard Barnes While many high-tech Korean companies have found a home with the Korea Electronics Association in the Korea Pavilion (hall 28) this year, that is by no means the extent of their influence at the show. Aside from big hitters LG, SAMSUNG, KT and Coway, Korean products are also present in the home appliance and consumer-electronics halls, as well as being scattered throughout the iZone. In terms of household goods, Windoro’s robotic window cleaner uses root technology to solve a difficult problem – how to clean the outside of high windows. It has a navigation and control module on the inside and a cleaning module on the outside. Inside the home, the Hurom slow juicer gently presses out the juice using a patented system, retaining more of the nutritious enzymes, vitamins and flavours. Honestech, meanwhile, allows users to take their TV with them wherever they go, on their laptop, tablet or phone. By connecting the TV to the nScreen TVBOX, users can then watch TV in h.264 codec quality, and even change channels, wherever they are. Also, for The SIV Isaw outdoor types, there is the Creanovative Sonic Walk System. This backpack, which can also hold a hydration pack, has speakers on the shoulder straps, which connect to a music player and allow cyclists and other sports people to listen to music safely while practising their pastime. For those with a passion for watersports or extreme sports meanwhile, DiCaPac and SIV have each produced a video camera to record sporting exploits. The SIV Isaw is a small camera module enclosed in a case that is waterproof up to a depth of 10 metres. Chargeable by USB, this full HD camera comes with mounts for cycling, snowboarding and scuba-diving. DiCaPac produces waterproof cases for all sizes of cameras, music players, phones, camcorders and tablets. Back in the living room, Minevox is showing the TViX XROID, an Android-based smart multimedia player. It brings apps and a full web browser to older televisions, supporting multi-tasking and filesharing through an easyto-use interface. Diasonic has presented a range of lamps with integrated iPod and iPhone docks in the base. These lamps have a range of available light settings and a USB 2.0 port with which to connect a computer. Technonia has a range of products for tablets and phones, but the most unusual is the Tabmate Bluetooth hands-free and keyboard for tablets. With a transparent OLED display, the device, which resembles a games console controller, can be used to take calls and control tablets from up to 10 metres away. The small keyboard allows users to type almost anywhere. And 3DOne has produced USB glasses-free 3D monitors from seven- to 19-inches in size, anticipating quick growth in this portion of the market. Prinics has showcased a printer-dock, which the company says makes printing iPhone photos convenient and simple. The neat unit prints at 300dpi using a dye sublimation transfer process, and also charges the iPhone while it prints. Ppyple, also in the iZone, has a range of dashboard charging cradles for iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, which also place the device at an easy-viewing angle. The TViX XROID 18
made in Korea Regional Spotlight A Sense for Wellbeing Woongjin Coway’s minimal eco-designs create maximum impact Woongjin Coway’s innovative and stylish wellbeing products, which include the electronic bidet and a sophisticated range of air and water purifiers, are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Woongjin Coway's CEO Joon-Kee Hong explains what sets them apart… Joon-Kee Hong CEO Woongjin Coway Interview by Richard Barnes We initially started targeting Europe five years ago, and the campaign was going very well until 2008, when sales slowed due to the economic downturn. But interest in our products has really started to grow again in the last 12 months, with our JuicePresso juicer in particular selling very well in several European markets. We are very proud of the JuicePresso, which minimises the destruction of nutrients and antioxidants, while offering more flavour — aspects that we highlight to consumers. We have also mounted a comprehensive media campaign, including print ads and an extensive, updated website. What are your key products at IFA? This year, we are focusing on our water purifiers with reverse-osmosis filters, and our range of air filters featuring three- and fourstep filtration processes. We specialise in the elimination of bacteria and viruses across all our wellness products. In addition, we are also very proud of our design philosophy, which I would describe as ‘uniquely minimalist’. Another unique Coway concept is that our water purifiers kill any bacteria that might start to grow inside the purifier’s water-storage tank every three days. Features such as these are why we prefer to call our wellness goods green, because they don’t really belong to the white- or brown-goods categories. Hall 3.1 Stand 105 “We are very proud of our design philosophy, which I would describe as ‘uniquely minimalist’.” Designed to be Different Imagination meets design in Moneual’s award-winning wellness and IT products. Known for its design-conscious and pioneering approach, Moneual was founded by Harold Park who, after 13 years at Samsung, decided to set up his own company — with impressive results… IFA International's Bettina Badon (centre) with Moneual's management When I was at Samsung, I realised that everybody could use their imagination to achieve something different, which is why I started this company — to be innovative and create beautiful, functional devices. For me, design is the most important thing in any product. What are you focusing on at IFA? Now that our products are selling well in Korea and the US, we are focusing on developing the European market, so we are talking to the retail channels in Berlin. With retailers, my strategy is a win-win situation because, if you are the only winner, you are never going to grow. We try to create added value, we co-operate on promotions around products and, if the situation merits it, we are happy to take a smaller profit so that the retailer benefits. What sorts of features are included in your robotic devices? On the home-appliance side, we are currently making an intelligent, and super-slim robotic vacuum cleaner, which forms part of our next-generation healthcare range. Our latest model has a wireless motion controller, voice alerts, voice recognition and a slim 8 cm design. This enables it to go everywhere, especially under furniture, where the Shadow Active mode alerts the machine to increase suction because it’s in an unlit and therefore probably dusty space. The robotic vacuum cleaner is also ideal for elderly people who live alone because, if they fall and hurt themselves, they can command the robot to dial their family or the emergency services for help. Hall 8.1 Stand 207 “For me, design is the most important thing in any product” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Tuesday 6 th September 2011 19
