Korea’s Sanitary Pad Price War: Coupang at ₩99 vs. Daiso at ₩100
₩99 at Coupang. ₩100 at Daiso.
That is the price of a single sanitary pad in South Korea today.
At first glance, this may look like a typical ultra-low-price competition. But beneath the surface, this is not simply a battle over margins. It is also a strategic signaling game between major retail platforms, the government, and public opinion.
Why Sanitary Pads?
Sanitary pads are neither high-margin products nor core revenue-driving categories for retail platforms. So why did two of Korea’s largest retailers choose this particular product for an aggressive price war?
Because in South Korea, sanitary pads carry symbolic meaning beyond that of an ordinary consumer good. Around a decade ago, a widely discussed story emerged about a teenage girl from a low-income household using shoe insoles because she could not afford sanitary pads. Media coverage soon expanded to broader stories of underprivileged teenagers relying on toilet paper or newspapers instead.
The issue sparked nationwide debate and quickly became tied to charity campaigns, political discourse, and welfare discussions. Since then, alongside the topic of “free school lunches,” sanitary pads have come to symbolize universal welfare and social equality in Korea.
Coupang’s ₩99 Strategy
Coupang has recently faced growing regulatory and political pressure in South Korea, including discussions surrounding platform regulation, labor conditions, and data-related issues.
Against this backdrop, the timing of Coupang’s decision to lower sanitary pad prices to the market minimum immediately after public remarks from the government and the President regarding sanitary pad affordability is notable.
At ₩99 per medium-sized pad, profitability is structurally difficult even for private-brand (PB) products when logistics, manufacturing, and distribution costs are considered. Yet the strategic intention is relatively clear: few products carry as much symbolic weight as sanitary pads when it comes to communicating the message, “We are a platform helping stabilize the cost of everyday living.”
Daiso’s ₩100 Strategy
Daiso is the dominant force in Korea’s offline discount retail sector, operating more than 1,500 stores nationwide. Under its well-known fixed-price policy, no product exceeds ₩5,000 (roughly $3.70).
Recently, Daiso has aggressively expanded beyond offline retail through cosmetics, health supplements, pet products, and the strengthening of its e-commerce app ecosystem, helping the company surpass ₩4 trillion in annual revenue.
As soon as Coupang sharply lowered sanitary pad prices, Daiso responded almost immediately by launching a pack of 10 pads for ₩1,000 — exactly ₩100 per pad. For Daiso, which is now actively expanding its online presence, Coupang has become an unavoidable competitor.
While Daiso may not match Coupang’s delivery speed, it holds a powerful competitive advantage: consumer trust in its pricing. Except for a limited number of heavily regulated or domestically sourced categories, Daiso aggressively reduces manufacturing costs through global sourcing networks and direct factory partnerships in China. Structurally, the company is highly positioned to sustain aggressive price competition.
The Price War Continues
This sanitary pad price war began escalating in February. The important question is whether these prices were merely temporary promotional tactics.
Surprisingly, both Coupang and Daiso continue to maintain these ultra-low price points today.
By holding the line at around ₩100 per pad, both companies appear to be pursuing several overlapping strategic objectives:
- Aligning themselves with the government’s inflation-control narrative
- Positioning themselves as “people-first” platforms focused on daily necessities
- Reducing potential political and regulatory risks before they intensify
What This Reveals About the Korean Market
Just as a single policy direction or public statement from a U.S. president can directly influence the strategies of Amazon or Walmart, the Korean market operates through a similar mechanism.
- Government rhetoric and policy direction often function as powerful and immediate market signals for corporations.
- Essential consumer goods with strong social symbolism can quickly become tied to politics and public opinion.
- Major platforms increasingly use pricing not only to compete for market share, but also as a sophisticated communication tool toward society and policymakers.
The South Korean market is not simply a battlefield for market share competition. It is a highly political ecosystem where public sentiment, regulation, and platform survival strategies are deeply interconnected.
This article reflects the author’s personal analysis and interpretations.