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Yuhan-Kimberly expands supply of cheaper sanitary pads in reponse to gov't criticism

Published: 26 Jan. 2026, 16:51 Updated: 27 Jan. 2026, 14:42

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 20. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yuhan-Kimberly is expanding its supply of mid- to low-priced sanitary pads in response to government concerns over high prices.

The company announced plans to increase offline sales of such existing pads and launch a new product in the same category on Monday.

Yuhan-Kimberly currently offers three mid- to low-priced products under its “Goodfeel Pure” and “Goodfeel Kotex Overnight” lines.

The supply price of “Goodfeel Pure” is about half that of the company’s flagship premium product.

Yuhan-Kimberly began supplying affordable sanitary pads in 2016 after noting the difficulties some women from vulnerable groups faced in purchasing them. The company has frozen the price of those products for the past 11 years.

It now plans to focus on expanding the offline distribution and sales of its affordable lines.

“Goodfeel Kotex Overnight” will continue to be sold through Daiso and distributor channels, with online availability expanding as well. “Goodfeel Pure,” which was previously sold mainly on Coupang, is now also available on Gmarket, Naver Store and Yuhan-Kimberly’s own online mall, MomQ.

Students hold up Yuhan-Kimberly's ″Goodfeel″ sanitary pads developed for people with developmental disabilities at a venue in Jung District, central Seoul, on March 2, 2022. [YONHAP]

A new product under the “Goodfeel” brand is set to launch in the second quarter of this year.

While the current range is limited to pad and overnight forms, the new product — a “super long overnight” type — is in development. When released, the total number of Yuhan-Kimberly’s mid- to low-priced sanitary pads will increase to four.

President Lee Jae Myung recently pointed out that sanitary pads are particularly expensive in Korea. The Fair Trade Commission is currently investigating three major companies — Yuhan-Kimberly, LG Unicharm and KleanNara.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is also reviewing ways to expand the supply of low-cost sanitary pads in coordination with related agencies.

Under the proposed measures, sanitary pad prices are expected to fall by 30–40 percent, or about 230 won ($0.16), narrowing the gap with overseas prices. A single sanitary pad currently costs roughly 220-375 won, depending on the type and brand, which is about 195 won more expensive on average than overseas, according to the Korean Women’s Environmental Network.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]