South Korean retailers have been rolling out aggressive sanitary pad marketing campaigns for over two months since President Lee Jae-myung criticized the high prices of domestic sanitary pads. Industry observers say this reflects retailers' efforts to align with the government's cost-of-living stabilization policy while also improving relations with the administration.
According to retail industry sources on the 7th, Daiso Korea will launch "100-won sanitary pads" in May in partnership with Kleannara. Breaking from the conventional approach of lowering unit prices through bulk packaging, the company will offer 10-pad packages at 1,000 won, allowing consumers to purchase only what they need without financial burden.
Large supermarkets and e-commerce platforms have also joined the below-cost competition. Homeplus became the first major supermarket to sell sanitary pads at 99 won per piece earlier this month, joining the low-price trend. The company offers four varieties of "Sally's Law Needs One" sanitary pads, all manufactured domestically, with a 14-piece medium-size pack priced at 1,380 won—equivalent to 98.57 won per pad.
Earlier this year, Coupang became the first in the industry to offer private-brand sanitary pads at a minimum of 99 won through its subsidiary CPLB. The company cut prices on medium and large PB sanitary pads by up to 29 percent, bringing medium pads to 99 won and large pads to 105 won each.
Industry insiders say retailers are strategically using sanitary pads to participate in price stabilization efforts while strengthening ties with the government. Analysts note that complex calculations underlie this competition, even though retailers must absorb the losses from price cuts.
This interpretation also applies to Homeplus, which is focused on improving profitability to normalize operations, and Coupang, which has faced pressure from investigative authorities over data breaches. Both companies have quickly committed to sanitary pad price cuts, actively responding to a cost-of-living issue the president has personally championed.
Amid this trend, corporate social responsibility initiatives are also centering on sanitary pad donations. On the 4th, Daiso Korea donated 5,000 packs of sanitary pads to support disadvantaged young women. On the 6th, ahead of International Women's Day, Yuhan-Kimberly conducted a company-wide campaign on the issue. LG Uni-Charm announced that its "Share Pad" campaign for donating hygiene products to vulnerable groups has surpassed 10 million pads in cumulative donations.