Youngone Chmn. Sung, an Iconic Pioneer in Global Outdoor Apparel, Footwear and Gear

Youngone Group Vice Chairperson Sung Rae-eun. (Photo: Youngone Group)

Youngone Founder-cum Chairman Sung Ki-hak is Korea’s representative figure in the outdoor industry.

Sung has been with the industry for nearly half century.

In 1997, he introduced the U.S. outdoor brand “The Northface” through his subsidiary company Goldwin Korea, grabbing an opportunity to catapult Youngone into the nation’s top outdoor company.

Youngone Corp. dates back to Chairman Sung’s establishment of an apparel production, import and sales company in 1974 at age of 27, at the request of a foreign buyer.

Youngone has continued to produce OEM products as a sports and outdoor company. Youngone’s long-time clienteles include globally recognized brands, such as Patagonia, Adidas, Lululemon on top of The Northface.

Thanks to the expertise the company has accumulated, Youngone is on a roll in the global outdoor apparel and footwear industry.

Youngone Achieves Best-Ever Business Performance

Youngone Corp. will likely see sales approach 4 trillion won on the back of rising apparel OEM exports, coupled with increasing foreign orders and surging profitability.

Furthermore, Youngone Holdings, the holding company of the group, saw sales increase and its operating profit top 1 trillion won on the back of the rising Northface sales of its subsidiary Youngone Outdoor.

In 2022, Youngone Holdings logged 4,527.4 billion won in sales, a 39.7 percent jump over the previous year.

A whole views of Youngone Group’s plant in Bangladesh.

Youngone to Build 8 Factories in India, Youngone’s 5th Overseas Presence Country

Youngone Group Vice Chairperson Sung Rae-eun is accelerating efforts to expand the group’s global business. Under the stewardship of Vice Chairperson Sung, who was promoted late last year, the business group plans to establish itself as a global player by expanding its business portfolio and concentrating its capabilities.

Youngone has chosen India as its fifth overseas production center, following ones in Bangladesh, Vietnam, El Salvador and Ethiopia. Business sources said on March 27 Youngone plans to build new plants at Kakatiya Mega Textile Park·(KMTP) in Warangal, the state of Telangana, India.

Youngone plans to build five factories in the KMTP in the first phase and three in the second-phase project, for a combined eight factories. Construction is expected to start in the first half of this year.

Diverse manufacturing unit facilities, such as knitting, fiber and polyester products are expected to be set up in the plants.

The outcome of the initiative for Youngone will be expanded production lines at the KMTP. Youngone has requested authorities in Telangana to supply a 30-acre (120,000 sq. meter) plot, in addition to the existing 267-acre (1.08 million sq. meter) site the company has already secured. Authorities in Telangana anticipate the creation of more than 20,000 jobs.

In December 2019, Youngone struck an MOU to invest 9 billion rupee (142 billion won) with the Telangana state government. In December 2020, the corporation set up the local corporate entity dubbed Evertop Textile & Apparel Complex Private Ltd, as part of efforts to secure local production capacity.

With Vice Chairperson Sung standing at the forefront of management, Youngone is stepping on the gas to build its fifth overseas production center in India.

The corporation has a lineup of overseas production: outdoor sports clothes, padding and garment parts in Bangladesh, outdoor sports clothes and merino wool in Vietnam, outdoor sport clothes in El Salvador, and outdoor sports clothes production facilities in Ethiopia.

Vice Chairperson Sung graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall and majored in sociology in Stanford University of the United States.

Sung entered Youngone in 2002, and she held positions, such as a director in charge of global compliance CPR, sales and business president, Youngone Holdings president and Youngone Corp. president before he was promoted to Youngone Corp. vice chairperson last November.

About Youngone

Inspired by his love of nature and outdoor pursuits, Sung Ki-hak founded Youngone Corporation in 1974.

Chairman Sung’s commitment to the environment, and an unrelenting standard of quality, has provided the long-term vision and standards for the company’s philosophies.

As a result, Youngone continues to be known as a pioneer in the outdoor industry, with the continuous improvement of people and products at the heart of its operations.

Youngone began manufacturing sportswear and down jackets in Seongnam, South Korea and has since grown to become the premier manufacturer of outdoor apparel, footwear and gear.

Today, it owns and operates production facilities in Bangladesh, Vietnam, China and El Salvador.

More importantly, through the more than 70,000 people we directly employ, the company touches the families and communities that have supported growth for over 40 years.

This integrated support system has enabled it to play an important role in the socio-economic development of the countries we work in.

Youngone’s broad product and service portfolio depends on continuous investment in people and has contributed to Youngone’s exceptionally diversified group.