Pharmaceutical Company Specializing on Oriental Herbal Medicine, The Beginning of the 50-Year-Old Legend of Kwangdong

The late chairman and founder of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, Gasan Soo Boo Choi, was the first-generation pharmacist who lay the cornerstone for the development of pharmaceutical industry in Korea and was ‘the symbol of precision management’, going through great challenges, but following the rules.

The late Gasan Soo Boo Choi, founder of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical in 1963, had developed Kyung Ok Go, the foundation item, alongside with Oriental medicines, such as Kwangdong Woo Hwang Chong Shim Won, Kwangdong Ssangwha Tang, among others. These representative products were developed on the basis of the founder’s innate sincerity and impetus. Not resting on his laurels, Gasan Soo Boo Choi moved forward in his work. Based on the medicine manufacturing and Oriental medicine know-hows, he gave birth to Vita 500, ‘a drinking Vitamin C’, in 2001, and launched health drinks, such as Kwangdong corn silk tea and Men’s Tea (Oriental Raisin Tea), to ultimately transform the paradigm of the drink business.

New Beginning as a Human Healthcare Brand

Using Soo Boo Choi’s foresights and precision management made ahead of his time, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical is now making a powerful leap for a human health care brand company of 1 trillion entrepreneurial value, 1 trillion of sales, 10% of operating profits in 2020. For Kwangdong Pharmaceutical employees and executives, the late Choi was a colossal figure. When the company approached bankruptcy and all employees returned their bonuses, he moved 100,000 stocks to his employees to personally realize the leadership of trust and precision. Since the 1980s, with his executives and staff, Soo boo Choi has implemented a steady practice of social responsibility activities in numerous fields, including helping kids with heart diseases, complimentary briquette support, and building love-houses, as well as prioritized social responsibility as an entrepreneur at all times. His perseverance and insistence underlie the mission of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical that will never change with time.