[Edaily Reporter KIM EUNG-TAE ] “South Korea is a key market characterized by rapid adoption of new technologies and high standards for products and services. Our goal is to become a smart home cleaning brand that earns the long-term trust of Korean consumers, extending beyond the Seoul metropolitan area to regional areas.”
Kim Cheong-song, CEO of Bolak Korea, made these remarks during a recent meeting with E-Daily at Bolak’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. “We will not only enhance the competitiveness of our products in the Korean market but also strengthen every aspect of the consumer experience with the Bolak brand, including customer service, security, and privacy protection,” he said.

Bolak is a China-based global company specializing in cleaning appliances, founded in 2014 by professionals from global firms such as Microsoft, Intel, and Baidu. In November 2020, it established its Korean subsidiary, Bolak Korea, and made a full-scale entry into the Korean market. Just two years after entering the Korean market, in 2022, it secured the top spot in the robot vacuum cleaner market based on shipment volume. Having held the top spot for four consecutive years through last year, Bolak Korea stood out last year by surpassing a 50% market share. Last year’s revenue also reached approximately 300 billion won, a nearly six-fold increase compared to 2022 (48 billion won).
CEO Kim cited “customer satisfaction” as the key factor behind Bolak’s successful establishment in the Korean market. He explained, “In Korea, many homes have thresholds or steps, and since people typically remove their shoes indoors, expectations for floor cleaning are quite high.” He added, “I believe Korean consumers chose Bolak because we designed our products with a focus on satisfaction—not only cleaning performance but also how little user intervention is required and how stable and convenient the products are for daily use.”
The company also believes its localization strategy played a key role. CEO Kim explained, “Rather than applying our global strategy directly to the Korean market, we actively utilized localization strategies across all aspects of our business.” He continued, “We operate marketing and customer service with a local team at the helm, and to promote our products, we prioritized setting up experience centers where meticulous Korean consumers could try the products firsthand.”
As major domestic home appliance companies and numerous Chinese brands enter the Korean market, Bolak aims to further enhance its product quality and user experience to maintain its position as an industry leader. CEO Kim remarked, “The fact that competitors are introducing good products and investing aggressively is proof that the Korean robot vacuum market is growing.” He continued, “As competition intensifies, the key to gaining an industry advantage will be how good the product is and how convenient the user experience is, rather than which brand it is.” “Based on our deep understanding of the Korean market, Bolak will strengthen its competitiveness not only in cleaning performance but also in meticulous details such as navigation accuracy and app stability,” he added.
Regarding the recent buzz surrounding SamsungElectronics(005930)—which temporarily claimed the top spot in monthly market share through a large-scale promotion in June and July—Roborock maintains that it will not be swayed by short-term fluctuations and is committed to proving its value. SamsungElectronics had previously launched an unprecedented promotion, offering 20% of the purchase price back in Onnuri gift certificates when buying home appliances, as a way to share profits generated by the semiconductor supercycle. CEO Kim emphasized, “While a competitor’s new product launch or large-scale promotion may affect market share at a specific time, it is ultimately the user experience that determines consumer choice,” adding, “Rather than getting bogged down by short-term figures, we will steadily enhance the competitiveness of our products and services to become a brand that is consistently chosen by consumers.”
Above all, the company maintains that it is making every effort to bring its after-sales service (AS) and security standards—areas previously cited as weaknesses of Chinese home appliance manufacturers—up to the standards expected by Korean consumers. Bolak Korea has established 27 AS centers nationwide; starting this year, it has extended the operating hours of these centers and introduced on-site AS services for certain products to accommodate senior customers. In addition, the company opened a “Trust Center” to disclose the security technologies and personal information protection systems applied to its products and has secured security certifications from global specialized agencies. CEO Kim stated, “We are committed to strictly complying with Korean laws and regulations,” adding, “We have created an environment where consumers can trust and use Bolak products from the moment of purchase through after-sales service.”
Ultimately, the company plans to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technology to become a smart home cleaning brand recognized throughout Korea. CEO Kim stated, “We plan to focus on providing practical convenience and value to consumers’ daily lives based on AI and robotics technology,” adding, “To expand our reach to consumers, we will continue to broaden the scope of our hands-on events and marketing activities beyond the Seoul metropolitan area to include regional areas as well.”