Chong Kun Dang is a South Korean multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Seoul. Founded as Goongbon Pharmacy under Japanese rule in 1941, it was renamed in 1946 and has since become one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the country.
History
In May 1941, Lee Jong-kun founded a pharmacy in the Ahyeon-dong neighborhood of downtown Seoul amidst Japanese rule in Korea; it was known as Goongbon Pharmacy in Korean and Miyamoto in Japanese. Following the end of the colonial era, Lee renamed the pharmacy to Chong Kun Dang in 1946. In 1949, Lee established the company's first research lab, where it developed Korea's first-ever thiadiazole ointment.[2]
By 1951, Chong Kun Dang grew beyond its origin as a small pharmacy and began wholesaling its products. The company was first registered as a corporation in 1956, at which point it had 30 drug formulas in production.[2]
In 1965, Chong Kun Dang established the largest raw material pharmaceutical processing plant in Asia.