Key Takeaways
• KT&G reported KRW 7.8 billion (about US$5.304 million) in 2017 sales and about KRW 4.3 trillion (about US$2.924 billion) cumulative sales by Q3 last year
• KT&G said KRW 5 trillion (about US$3.400 billion) is within reach; 2022–2024 average annual sales exceeded KRW 800 billion (about US$544.0 million)
• KT&G said lil leads Korea’s HNB market and runs lil SOLID, lil HYBRID and lil AIBLE
• KT&G said there were 14 device upgrades and launches over about nine years
• KT&G said NGP patent filings rose from 80 (2017) to 4,694 across 2022–2024
• KT&G said overseas NGP sales were KRW 110.8 billion (about US$75.344 million) in Q3 2025; lil is in 30+ countries and supplies some products via PMI
2Firsts, January 13, 2026 – According to EBN, KT&G’s HNB brand lil has become a key player in the next-generation products (NGP) market, expanding beyond South Korea through technology competitiveness and rapid product upgrades.
KT&G said lil recorded KRW 7.8 billion (about US$5.304 million) in sales at its first release in 2017 and continued growing, reaching about KRW 4.3 trillion (about US$2.924 billion) in cumulative sales by last year’s third quarter. The text also says KRW 5 trillion (about US$3.400 billion) is within reach. KT&G said average annual sales over the past three years (2022–2024) exceeded KRW 800 billion (about US$544.0 million).
The text says lil has maintained the No. 1 share in Korea’s HNB market since taking the lead in Q1 2022.
KT&G said lil operates three platforms — lil SOLID, lil HYBRID and lil AIBLE — and carried out 14 device upgrades and new product launches over about nine years. It said lil SOLID and lil HYBRID advanced to version 3.0, while lil AIBLE updated to version 2.0 Plus in under three years since launch.
KT&G said its patent strategy underpins competitiveness, noting it established an IP-focused organization in 2016 and expanded research staffing. It reported NGP-related patent filings grew from 80 in 2017 to a total of 4,694 across 2022–2024.
KT&G said dedicated stick volumes rose from 40 million sticks in 2017 to 14.49 billion in 2024. The text adds that NGP sales increased about 45% year-on-year as of last year’s third quarter and that KT&G operates 40 dedicated stick variants.
Overseas, KT&G reported overseas NGP sales of KRW 110.8 billion (about US$75.344 million) in Q3 2025, up about 35% year-on-year. The text says lil has entered more than 30 countries and supplies some products abroad through a partnership with PMI. KT&G said it will strengthen independent overseas business capabilities and develop overseas NGP as a medium- to long-term growth pillar.
Image Source:EBN
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