The South Korean cigarette maker currently fighting off a hostile takeover attempt by legendary corporate raider Carl Icahn, is doing rather well at the moment. Its latest brand of cancer sticks, called Esse Soun (presumably it sounds better in Korean) has notched up record sales of 11 million packs just two weeks after its launch, giving the new brand a 9% market share. Together with the company’s six other ciggie lines, among them Lo Crux, Indigo, Entz and Arirang (they really must sound better in Korean), KT&G now controls 38% of the Korean market. And it’s all because of Icahn. South Koreans, incensed at the foreign takeover attempt of KT&G, are now buying patriotically, shunning imported products in favour of home-grown brands. “I used to smoke foreign cigarettes, but now I smoke Korean ones only,” coughed one hardened Seoul smoker. “The primary reason is Icahn’s attempt to take over a Korean company.”

From print version of HFMweek

One has to wonder if Google can ever beat Baidu . . .and finally understand why Yahoo sold out . . . and why Naver is kicking Google ass . . . and not mentioning eBay in Korea & China . . . .