"It's 500 won at Daiso"... Koo Hye-sun responds to controversy over 13,000-won hair roller price

[Financial News] Actor Koo Hye-sun has personally addressed the controversy over the price of "Kooroll," a hair roller she developed.
On the 5th, Koo Hye-sun wrote on social media, "Kooroll (KOOROLL) is a product that eliminates 80% of the plastic used in conventional round hair rollers." She explained, "Unlike round rollers, which get tangled in hair and become dirty, Kooroll can be unfolded so hair can be easily removed, and it is designed for permanent use."
She added, "Because the initial production volume was small, the unit cost is high, which is why the current price is on the expensive side. However, we plan to gradually offer discounts and promotions so that consumers will not feel burdened when purchasing it."
Recently, the price of the product, which was launched in January, has sparked debate online. According to the official website, it costs 13,000 won per piece, or 25,000 won for two. Some online users compared it with cheap hair rollers on the market priced between 500 and 5,000 won, arguing that Kooroll is too expensive.
Consumers who actually bought the hair roller developed by Koo Hye-sun left reviews such as, "It's expensive, but it's easy to carry," and "Conventional hair rollers were inconvenient to carry around, but this one is handy. Still, the high price is disappointing."
As Koo Hye-sun described, this product differs from typical cylindrical hair rollers in that it can be carried flat and bent into a round shape only when in use. It uses a special material that holds its shape, and up to the fourth stage of processing is outsourced in manufacturing, which is said to significantly increase production costs.
Koo Hye-sun debuted in 2002 as a commercial model and later gained popularity through dramas such as "Boys Over Flowers." After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in 2024, she entered graduate school at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and graduated early in January this year. While studying at the Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, KAIST, she co-developed the technology for this product with Lee Haeshin, a Distinguished Professor at KAIST, and completed patent registration in December 2021. With a design that reduces plastic use by 80%, the product was selected for the Outstanding Patent Grand Prize last year.
gaa1003@fnnews.com Reporter An Gaeul Reporter