Lim Young-woong poses with a bottle of water for a Jeju Samdasoo promotion. Screen capture from Samdasoo's YouTube channel By Ko Dong-hwan Singer Lim Young-woong has become the new model for the country's biggest drinking water brand, Jeju Samdasoo, replacing IU who has been the face of the brand for four years, according to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corp Friday. Samdasoo said the singer who is well-known for his vocal skills and possessing a cultivated appearance that the majority of the public can trust, chimed with its products. Market observers pointed out Lim's renewed publicity came as the brand's sales declined from 2022 and the corporation saw it as a must to replace the female vocalist who long represented the brand. On the same day, Samdasoo launched a 14-second teaser on YouTube announcing the news. It said an official commercial featuring the 32-year-old star will be released next Thursday. The clip drew more than 100,000 views in 12 hours. "Lim, with his signature delicate and heart-warming voice as well as numerous public activities in support of local communities, has been garnering love from all ages and genders," a company official said. "We highly anticipate the new journey to be taken by the country's No. 1 drinking water brand and No. 1 singer." Reaching stardom after conquering TV singing competition show "Mr. Trot" on TV Chosun in 2020, Lim has been active shooting commercials and performing. According to the country's Brand Reputation Index earlier this month, Lim was ranked top among commercial models, beating K-pop girl group NewJeans and soccer star Son Heung-min. Samdasoo's model change is closely related to the corporation's mission to recover the brand's declining sales, according to market watchers. Its market share stood at 29.2 percent in 2019 and continued to rise, peaking at 31.9 percent in 2021, according to Euromonitor, a market analyst. The figure then started sliding down, registering 31.3 percent in 2022 and 30.2 percent in 2023. Last month, Lim also replaced Son, a forward and captain for both the Korean national soccer team and Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, as a model for Hana Bank.
