Samsung, LG and others turn back time with retro products as they look to the future

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Samsung, LG and others turn back time with retro products as they look to the future

Published: 21 Jul. 2025, 19:41

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Shinil Electronics' retro tabletop fan [SHINIL ELECTRONICS]

In Korea’s fast-moving tech world, legacy brands are turning back the clock — reviving vintage appliances, restoring founder philosophies and even recreating voices with AI — as companies like LG, Hyundai and SK use heritage marketing to strengthen identity and forge deeper emotional ties with consumers.

One eye-catching item in particular that had shoppers often pause was Shinil’s retro tabletop fan at Electro Mart in Starfield Goyang, Gyeonggi.

It is not just the vintage look — transparent blue blades, a metal grill and a lever-style timer — but the tactile feel of it. Turn the dial and it clicks audibly.

“Oh, this is exactly how it felt,” a shopper surnamed Lee said. “It looks just like the one at my grandmother’s house, though the fan cover seems sturdier now.”

Released in 2022, the fan mimics the look and feel of models that dominated Korean homes in the 1970s and 1980s.

Shinil Electronics’ product, while functional, leans heavily into nostalgia.

Other companies are following suit. LG Electronics has brought back two of its most historic devices: the A-501, Korea’s first domestically made radio, and the D-301, the country's first homegrown electric fan.

Korea's first locally manufactured radio [LG]

Originally released under LG Electronics's predecessor, Goldstar, in the late 1950s, both were recreated earlier this year — the radio now a Bluetooth speaker, the fan a scaled-down model.

“These weren’t just appliances — they symbolized Korea’s entry into electronics during a time of scarce capital and limited know-how,” an industry source said. “Reintroducing them isn’t about copying the past, but honoring it as a starting point for where the brand is now.”

The devices aren’t available for general sale. They’re being distributed internally or offered through LG fan communities.

But online reactions suggest broader demand. “Too good to be limited edition,” an online poster wrote. “Hope they get a proper release.”

LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan in March presented a reissued Goldstar radio to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who responded with appreciation, calling it a thoughtful and well-received gift.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella speaks at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo Park, California, on April 29. [AP/YONHAP]

The retro wave extends beyond physical products.

Hyundai Motor Group recently launched an archival project ahead of its 60th anniversary in 2027.

A task force, drawing staff from headquarters and research centers, is compiling a company history that traces the "people first" philosophy of late founder Chung Ju-yung.

Hyundai and Kia both operate heritage teams. Hyundai has even produced a documentary, "The Great Heritage — Automobiles," which is now available on streaming platforms.

It's part of a wider push to frame the company's identity in terms of its future in mobility.

SK Group has leaned into spatial storytelling.

The company restored SK House, the birthplace of its founder, and opened it to the public in 2024 as a space to experience its corporate roots.

This followed the publication of "The Annals of Sunkyong," a corporate history tracing the group’s early days.

Doosan Group, one of Korea’s oldest conglomerates, created an exhibit space in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, called “Doosan Heritage 1896,” highlighting its beginnings as a small dry goods store in Jongno District, central Seoul.

Shinsegae, in a similar move, reopened the 90-year-old former headquarters of Cheil Bank as its newly branded flagship store, “The Heritage,” in April.

Shinsegae Department Store's renovated ″The Heritage″ building in Myeongdong, central Seoul [SHINSEGAE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Companies are also leveraging new technologies to reconnect with old voices — literally.

Firms such as Hyundai, SK, Samyang and Dongkuk Steel have used AI to recreate the speech of their founding chairmen, offering a sensory-rich way to transmit corporate values to both consumers and employees.

“Heritage marketing is not about romanticizing the past,” said Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University.

The Chanel boutique inside Shinsegae Department Store's renovated ″The Heritage″ building in Myeongdong, central Seoul [SHINSEGAE DEPARTMENT STORE]

“It’s a tool for reaffirming the industrial roots of Korea’s rise as a manufacturing powerhouse and for demonstrating a brand’s long-term sustainability. The spirit of the founding generation, who built industries from nothing, instills a sense of identity and pride not only in consumers but also within the companies themselves.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM SU-MIN [[email protected]]