Seoul Milk
A long-established South Korean dairy brand and cooperative producer offering milk, cultured dairy, yogurt, cheese, and related beverages.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Seoul Milk is the consumer-facing dairy brand associated with Seoul Dairy Cooperative, a food and dairy cooperative headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Its institutional history reaches back to 1937, when the Gyeongseong Milk Trade Association was established in central Seoul. The organization was renamed the Seoul Milk Trade Association in September 1954 and was incorporated as Seoul Dairy Cooperative in 1962. This sequence gives the enterprise a longer history than its present legal form: 1937 is generally used for the origin of the Seoul Milk business, while 1962 marks the establishment of the cooperative in its current corporate structure. The organization is described as South Korea's oldest supplier of dairy products. Its core business is the production and sale of milk and other refrigerated or shelf-stable dairy and beverage products. Reported product categories include drinking milk, yogurt, cheese, and broader beverage lines. Manufacturing facilities are located in Yangju, Yongin, Ansan, and Geochang, supporting production and distribution across the domestic market. The brand's identity is closely linked to everyday household consumption, freshness, and the reliability associated with an established domestic dairy supplier. Seoul Milk has also used product innovation to address changing consumer tastes and retail channels. In December 2016, it introduced CU Big Yogurt through CU convenience stores, extending the brand into a convenience-led format. In 2017, it released a milk product formulated for pets, reflecting the growth of pet-related consumption. In May 2021, it launched Mint Chocolate Latte, a mint-flavored chocolate milk product responding to the popularity of mint-chocolate flavor combinations in South Korea. The cooperative has exported products to several Chinese cities, including Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, and Yanji. These exports indicate an international distribution presence, although the available reference material does not establish the full scale, continuity, or current geographic scope of the brand's overseas business. Seoul Milk's history also includes a widely reported advertising controversy. In January 2003, it organized a nude performance in Seoul's Insa-dong art plaza to promote the yogurt product Edible Yogurt Miz. The event involved performers pouring yogurt over their bodies and was presented as a demonstration connected with the product's edibility and skin-related appeal. Authorities later treated part of the performance as potentially obscene. In 2006, the head of Seoul Milk's marketing department received a fine of five million won, while the models received fines of 500,000 won each. The incident remains an important example of the legal and reputational risks surrounding provocative food advertising. Seoul Milk therefore combines the characteristics of a historic cooperative, a mass-market dairy producer, and a modern packaged-food brand. Its principal competitive foundation is its long operating history and broad dairy portfolio, while its product launches show periodic efforts to reach convenience shoppers, pet owners, and consumers interested in novelty flavors.
History
Seoul Milk traces its origin to the Gyeongseong Milk Trade Association, established in Jeong-dong in central Seoul in 1937. The organization emerged during the early development of South Korea's organized dairy supply and is described in reference material as the country's oldest dairy-products supplier. Its early identity was tied to the collection, processing, and distribution of milk for the Seoul market. In September 1954, the organization adopted the name Seoul Milk Trade Association. This period followed the disruption of the Korean War and represented the continuation and reorganization of the business under a Seoul-centered dairy identity. In 1962, Seoul Milk registered as a corporation and became Seoul Dairy Cooperative, the legal and organizational form associated with the enterprise today. Accordingly, the brand's history is commonly dated from 1937, while the cooperative's current structure dates from 1962. Over subsequent decades, Seoul Dairy Cooperative developed into a large domestic dairy producer. Its portfolio expanded beyond basic drinking milk to include yogurt, cheese, cultured dairy, and beverage products. Production facilities identified in reference material are located in Yangju, Yongin, Ansan, and Geochang. These sites support a national South Korean business serving household, retail, and food-service demand, although detailed production and financial data are not established by the available sources. The brand has periodically broadened its distribution and product scope. In December 2016, Seoul Milk introduced CU Big Yogurt through CU, placing a large-format yogurt product in a convenience-store environment. In 2017, it entered the pet-food and pet-care consumption area with a milk product for pets. In May 2021, it released Mint Chocolate Latte, a flavored milk combining mint and chocolate at a time when the mint-chocolate taste profile was a visible consumer trend in South Korea. Seoul Milk has also exported to a number of Chinese cities, including Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, and Yanji. The available material confirms these destinations but does not provide sufficient information to quantify exports or describe the brand's complete international network. A significant reputational episode occurred in January 2003, when Seoul Milk sponsored a nude performance at the Insa-dong art plaza in Seoul to promote Edible Yogurt Miz. Nude performers poured yogurt over their bodies as part of a product-related demonstration. Although the event lasted about an hour, a short portion of the performance drew legal scrutiny. In 2006, the marketing department head was fined five million won and the participating models were each fined 500,000 won in connection with performative-obscenity proceedings. The episode illustrates the limits placed on provocative advertising and remains one of the most documented controversies in the brand's public history. Today, Seoul Milk is best understood as both a dairy brand and the commercial identity of Seoul Dairy Cooperative. Its historical strength rests on longevity, domestic recognition, and a broad dairy portfolio. Its more recent launches demonstrate attempts to adapt the brand to convenience retail, pet ownership, and flavor-led beverage trends.
- 2021
Mint Chocolate Latte launched
[1]Seoul Milk released a mint-flavored chocolate milk beverage responding to a popular flavor trend.
- 2017
Pet milk product released
[1]The brand entered the pet-oriented milk segment with a dedicated product.
- 2016
CU Big Yogurt launched
[1]Seoul Milk introduced CU Big Yogurt through the CU convenience-store chain.
- 2003
Controversial yogurt promotion held
[1]Seoul Milk organized a nude performance in Seoul to promote Edible Yogurt Miz.
- 1962
Seoul Dairy Cooperative formed in its current structure
[1]Following corporate registration, the organization became Seoul Dairy Cooperative.
- 1954
Renamed Seoul Milk Trade Association
[1]The organization adopted the Seoul Milk Trade Association name in September.
- 1937
Gyeongseong Milk Trade Association established
[1]The predecessor of Seoul Milk was established in Jeong-dong, central Seoul, providing the institutional starting point for the later dairy cooperative.
Products and positioning
An established, domestic South Korean dairy brand positioned around everyday dairy consumption, freshness, product variety, and the trust associated with a long operating history.
Milk · 1937
Drinking milk
Drinking milk is the brand's foundational category and the product area most closely associated with Seoul Milk's identity. The cooperative's long history began with organized milk supply in Seoul, and its present portfolio continues to center on packaged dairy for routine household consumption. The available reference material does not specify individual varieties, pack sizes, or current formulations.
Cultured dairy
Yogurt
Yogurt is a major extension of Seoul Milk's core dairy business. The category includes the product promoted through the Edible Yogurt Miz campaign and the later CU Big Yogurt convenience-store launch. These examples show the brand using yogurt for both conventional dairy consumption and format-led retail innovation. Specific current product variants are not established in the supplied sources.
Dairy products
Cheese
Cheese is identified as part of Seoul Milk's broader product range. It complements the cooperative's milk and yogurt businesses by extending the brand into another established dairy category. The available references do not provide product names, styles, launch dates, or details about manufacturing and distribution.
Yogurt · 2016
CU Big Yogurt
CU Big Yogurt was introduced in December 2016 through CU convenience stores. Its large-format positioning and convenience-store distribution represented a channel-specific yogurt launch, bringing Seoul Milk's cultured-dairy offering into a high-frequency retail environment. Detailed size, ingredients, pricing, and current availability are not specified in the available reference.
Pet dairy product · 2017
Pet milk
In 2017, Seoul Milk released a milk product designed for pets. The launch broadened the brand's addressable consumption occasion beyond human dairy and reflected the emergence of specialized pet-related products in South Korea. The supplied material does not identify the product's exact name, formulation, target animals, or current status.
Flavored milk beverage · 2021
Mint Chocolate Latte
Mint Chocolate Latte was launched in May 2021 as a mint-flavored chocolate milk beverage. Its concept aligned with the popularity of mint-chocolate products in South Korea and represented a novelty-flavor approach within Seoul Milk's beverage portfolio. No further information about distribution, sales, or continuation is established by the supplied sources.
Controversies
2026
Seoul Milk parent apologizes for advertisement
Seoul Milk's parent company, Seoul Dairy Cooperative, apologized to consumers who felt uncomfortable with a milk advertisement that likened women to cows and showed a man secretly filming them. The company said it would take extra care to prevent similar incidents; the ad had been deleted from Seoul Milk's YouTube channel.
2021
Seoul Milk faces backlash over advertisement
Seoul Milk faced criticism over an advertisement that viewers said appeared to liken women to cows and evoked concerns about secret filming. The company apologized, said it would conduct an internal review, and removed the video from its YouTube channel.
2006
Legal sanctions following nude yogurt promotion
Authorities investigated a portion of Seoul Milk's 2003 nude promotional performance as performative obscenity. The marketing department head received a five-million-won fine, while each nude model received a 500,000-won fine.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Edible Yogurt Miz nude performance
South Korea
Seoul Milk promoted Edible Yogurt Miz with a nude performance at the Insa-dong art plaza in Seoul. The event used yogurt poured over nude performers as a provocative product demonstration connected with edibility and skin-related messaging.
Outcome. The performance triggered legal scrutiny; the marketing department head and participating models were later fined.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch mint-chocolate flavored milkProduct launchBackground
Mint-chocolate flavors had become a visible consumer trend in South Korea.
Action taken
Seoul Milk introduced Mint Chocolate Latte in May 2021.
Aftermath
The launch positioned the brand within a popular novelty-flavor trend; later performance and availability are not established by the supplied sources.
2017
Extend the portfolio to pet milkStrategyBackground
Seoul Milk developed a product for pet consumption, moving beyond its conventional human dairy categories.
Action taken
The company released a milk product for pets.
Aftermath
The move gave the brand a presence in a specialized pet-oriented product segment, but the supplied material does not document its sales or longevity.
2016
Enter convenience retail with CU Big YogurtProduct launchBackground
The brand used CU convenience stores as a distribution channel for a large-format yogurt product.
Action taken
Seoul Milk launched CU Big Yogurt through CU in December 2016.
Aftermath
The launch expanded the brand's yogurt presence into convenience retail; further commercial results are not available in the supplied sources.
Recent events
Seoul Milk parent apologizes for advertisement[3]
Reported:
Seoul Milk's parent company, Seoul Dairy Cooperative, apologized to consumers who felt uncomfortable with a milk advertisement that likened women to cows and showed a man secretly filming them. The company said it would take extra care to prevent similar incidents; the ad had been deleted from Seoul Milk's YouTube channel.
Seoul Milk faces backlash over advertisement[4]
Reported:
Seoul Milk faced criticism over an advertisement that viewers said appeared to liken women to cows and evoked concerns about secret filming. The company apologized, said it would conduct an internal review, and removed the video from its YouTube channel.
Sources5 sources
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