Trademark registration secured as entrepreneurial moves continue

Ku Hye-sun wearing a hair roller. [Ku Hye-sun SNS]
Ku Hye-sun wearing a hair roller. [Ku Hye-sun SNS]

A hair roller developed and patented by actor Ku Hye-sun has made its way into a duty-free store.

Ku, 41, announced Monday on social media that she had completed trademark registration and secured a spot at Shinsegae Duty Free. She shared a photo of the trademark certificate to mark the occasion.

According to the certificate, the Korea Intellectual Property Office formally registered "non-electric hair rollers and three other items" filed by Ku under trademark law on June 23.

Ku also shared a screenshot showing her hair roller product, "Kurol," listed among Shinsegae Duty Free's newly added brands and available for purchase.

With trademark registration and a duty-free listing now secured on top of her earlier product patent, Ku has notched a string of meaningful achievements as an entrepreneur.

Ku developed the roller while enrolled in a master's program at KAIST's Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy. The flat, flexible design uses bendable materials to improve portability. The product drew attention when it launched, though its pricing sparked controversy: a single roller retails for 13,000 won ($8), with a two-piece set priced at 25,000 won.

Despite the criticism over cost, Ku said in April that sales had surpassed 10,000 units, a figure that surprised many.

Ku made her entertainment debut in a commercial in 2002, gained wider recognition through the 2006 drama series "Yeolahop Sunjung" and rose to major fame with "Boys Over Flowers" in 2009. She married fellow actor Ahn Jae-hyun in 2016 but the two divorced in 2020. She enrolled in KAIST's Graduate School of Future Strategy in 2024, earned a master's degree, and reinvented herself as a venture entrepreneur through the development of Kurol.


jshan@heraldcorp.com