Chinese bottled water company Nongfu Spring is hiring sales personnel for the South Korean market, raising interest in its potential entry. The company has faced scrutiny due to past controversies, including a bromate detection issue in Hong Kong.
According to a job posting shared on an online community on November 7, Nongfu Spring is looking for a sales manager and junior staff based in South Korea. The requirements include a bachelor's degree and 3 to 5 years of relevant experience. The manager position specifically calls for over three years of sales and marketing experience, at least one year of sales team management, and fluency in Korean and Chinese.
The responsibilities include developing sales strategies for the South Korean market, identifying new sales regions and distribution channels, managing contracts and inventory, and analyzing market trends and competitors. This recruitment is seen as a move to establish a distribution network and sales foundation in South Korea.
However, the past bromate detection controversy involving Nongfu Spring has resurfaced. In 2024, the Hong Kong Consumer Council announced that bromate was detected in Nongfu Spring water.
Subsequently, the council corrected its findings, stating that there was an error in product classification. The re-evaluation indicated that the bromate level was 3 micrograms per liter, below the then-applicable limit of 10 micrograms per liter. The council reportedly adjusted its overall rating of the product from 4.5 to 5 stars.
In response, South Korean netizens expressed their concerns, commenting, "Why are we importing Chinese water when we have some of the best water sources in the world?" and "Why does it keep coming into our country?" Some comments included political expressions such as "Democratic water" and references to the phrase "Xie Xie" (thank you in Chinese).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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