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Monami is a representative stationery
brand that has been making the history of writing instrument in Korea for 61
years since 1960. In addition to BP 153, Monami has been releasing various
product lines such as Plus Pen 3000, Markers, and functional writing instruments.
The steady seller of Monami, BP 153 had been launched on May 1st, 1963,
which is the first ballpoint pen in Korea. It has established itself as a national
ballpoint pen with its hexagonal white body, simple design and reasonable price,
and still loved for its various appearance according to consumer needs.
The birth of BP 153 came from curiosity of the founder Song Samseok. He
attended an international industrial fair in 1962, saw an amazing writing
instrument which was used without dipping ink. In 1960s, Korea used a lot of
fountain pen-type writing tools that were used by dipping ink, and there were many
inconveniences such as causing the ink be poured while using the pen. So, he convinced
that this amazing pen could remedy the shortcomings of writing instruments in
Korea. After about a year of research on ink technology, the first ballpoint
pen in Korea, BP 153 was born in 1963.
BP 153 has a simple structure consisting of only five parts: a hexagonal body,
a head, a knock, a spring, and an ink refill. The hexagonal shape of the
product is designed not to roll off and slip from the hand. Until today, Monami
sold approximately 4.3 billion of BP 153 in and outside Korea - in fact, if
they were lined up, it would be a length long enough to circle the globe five
times.
Monami is keeping pace with changes in the market by producing high-end products
recently. High-end strategy of Monami started in 2014, with releasing “BP 153 Limited
Edition” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of BP 153.
The limited edition of BP 153 follows the design of original BP 153, increases
specifications by applying a high-end metal body and metal refill ink. Although
the price was 100 times higher than original BP 153, the limited edition was sold
out as soon as it was launched.
Since then, Monami has launched its premium strategy in earnest, applying
various colors and designs to suit people's tastes, such as '153 ID', '153
Respect', '153 Neo', and '153 Blossom'. By introducing premium products, it caused
a change in the writing instrument market. Also, Monami is also actively communicating
with not only domestic fans but also overseas fans by using SNS channels such
as YouTube and Instagram.
A Monami officer said, “Monami is a leading brand in the stationery industry which
has been loved by various age group and has shared the daily lives of consumers.
We will try to develop valuable products without stopping new changes and
challenges so that we can become a 100-year brand beyond half a century.”
Source: https://news.g-enews.com/ko-kr/news/article/news_all/202108061710548657bc88014e31_1/article.html?md=20210809100150_R https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20200826500192&wlog_tag3=naver      
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