Ethical consumption in Korea is often associated with eco-friendly products, reusable cups, fair trade, or choosing brands that reflect a consumer’s personal values. But in the summer of 2026, a very different example of value-based consumption attracted attention across South Korea.
At the center of the story was Hansung Enterprise, a food company best known in Korea for Crami, its popular imitation crab product. After the public learned about a social contribution the company had quietly continued for years, people began buying its products, and some retail investors even bought its stock in a wave of support Koreans call donjjul.
Why Was Hansung Enterprise Facing Delisting Concerns?
On July 1, 2026, South Korea raised the market-capitalization threshold for KOSPI-listed companies from KRW 20 billion to KRW 30 billion. According to the Financial Services Commission’s official announcement on the revised delisting rules, the threshold is scheduled to rise again to KRW 50 billion in January 2027.
Hansung Enterprise had been struggling with rising raw-material costs and weaker business results. Its share price fell into the KRW 4,200 range in June 2026, bringing its market capitalization down to roughly KRW 26.1 billion — below the new KRW 30 billion threshold.
That did not mean the company would be immediately delisted. Under the revised rules, a company that remains below the market-cap threshold for 30 consecutive trading days can be designated for management, followed by an additional period in which it has an opportunity to recover. The company therefore faced a genuine listing risk, but there was still a formal recovery process before delisting could occur.
A 25-Year Commitment to War Veterans Came to Light
While people online were discussing the company’s financial situation, another part of Hansung Enterprise’s history began circulating. The company had supported an annual event honoring Korean War and United Nations veterans for about 25 years.
Hansung Enterprise later explained that it had continued the “Concert for Heroes” together with a veterans-related cultural organization. It also emphasized that the event had been possible because of the participation of other sponsors and musicians, expressing some discomfort with receiving all of the praise itself.
The Korean War ended in an armistice more than seven decades ago, but the war, national division, and the memory of those who served still have a visible place in Korean society. If you are interested in that historical background, my guide to the Korean DMZ and the history behind the divided peninsula looks at how this history continues to shape modern Korea.
The official promotional poster for “The 24th Korean War Memorial Concert” held at KBS Hall on November 12, 2025. You can verify the Hansung Enterprise logo listed quietly in the red-bordered sponsor row at the very bottom. Image Source: [Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Official Blog]
Donjjul: When Praise Turns Into Spending
Koreans have a playful word for financially rewarding someone who has done something good: donjjul. It combines don, meaning “money,” with honjjul, an expression used when someone is severely scolded or taught a lesson.
The joke is that instead of punishing a good person, customers “scold them with money.” If a small restaurant becomes known for giving free meals to people in need, for example, customers may deliberately visit the restaurant and order food to reward the owner.
In the case of Hansung Enterprise, the same idea appeared on a much larger scale. Consumers bought Crami and other Hansung products, while messages on the company’s official Crami 25th anniversary page included comments from people saying they had bought both the products and the stock or planned to choose the brand more often.
Some retail investors also joined the buying. On July 10, Hansung Enterprise closed at KRW 8,460 per share, bringing its market capitalization to about KRW 52.5 billion. Its share price had risen nearly 80 percent over five trading days, putting it well above the KRW 30 billion threshold that had triggered the original concern. This kind of rapid movement from online attention to real-world action is something I occasionally notice in Korea.
The Company’s Response Was Just as Interesting
What interested me was that Hansung Enterprise did not simply amplify the flattering stories spreading online. It corrected some of them.
Hansung Enterprise instead corrected some of the flattering claims that were spreading online. One widely shared story suggested that the company used only Korean ingredients, but Hansung clarified that it also uses imported raw materials and selects both domestic and overseas ingredients based on quality, supply, and price.
The company was also cautious about receiving too much credit for its support of veterans. It stressed that other organizations, sponsors, and musicians had participated over the years and said it preferred to remain a food company focused on doing its basic job well. The Seoul Economic Daily report on the Hansung donjjul phenomenon provides a useful account of both the public response and the company’s clarification.
To me, this is what makes the case more interesting as an example of ethical consumption. Consumers were not discovering a perfect company; they were learning about something a company had done, watching how it responded to unexpected praise, and deciding whether those actions aligned with their own values.
Ethical Consumption and Stock Investing Are Not the Same Thing
There is also an important distinction to make. Buying a package of Crami to support a company and buying shares in that company are very different financial decisions.
A positive corporate image does not guarantee long-term business performance or a rising stock price. Hansung Enterprise was still dealing with higher raw-material costs and weaker earnings, and contemporary reporting also warned that temporary public attention should not be confused with evidence of long-term competitiveness.
For that reason, the most interesting part of the story is not whether people who bought the stock made money. It is the way information about a company’s behavior changed what some consumers chose to buy.
What the Hansung Story Says About Ethical Consumption in Korea
Consumer movements can spread remarkably quickly in South Korea. When a company becomes involved in a serious controversy, calls for a boycott can move from online communities into real purchasing behavior, while positive stories can produce the opposite response through donjjul.
The Hansung Enterprise case was particularly unusual because that response extended beyond a neighborhood restaurant or small business to a listed food company and, briefly, into the stock market. It showed that price and product quality are not always the only things consumers consider; a company’s past actions and the way it responds when placed under public scrutiny can also affect purchasing decisions.
The story is more complicated than consumers simply “saving” a good company. But it was a striking example of people expressing their values not only through comments and online praise, but through actual choices about where to spend their money.
And that may be the most useful way to understand ethical consumption in Korea: sometimes a consumer’s wallet becomes another way of saying, “I noticed what you did.”
About the Author 🇰🇷
I live in South Korea and write about the small details of Korean life and culture that I experience and observe firsthand.
English is my second language, so I sometimes use tools such as Gemini and Google Translate to help with translation and editing. The experiences, observations, opinions, and cultural perspectives in my articles are my own, and I personally review and edit every article before publishing it.
My goal with Korea Core Info is simple: to share everyday Korea from a local perspective and help international readers discover things they might not always find in a typical travel guide.
I hope my stories and guides help you understand Korea a little better — not just as a place to visit, but as a place where people live their everyday lives.