As of 2001, medium and small business rice cookers took 70 percent of the total market share, with the Cuckoo rice cooker by Sungkwang Electronics as the top selling model. Rice cookers from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have a market share of 29.9 percent, while those of Japanese firms have less than 0.1 percent.

Korean rice cookers are said to make better-tasting rice, by exerting 0.8 kg to 0.9 kg pressure while cooking, higher than that of Japanese cookers' 0.4 kg to 0.6 kg. In addition, the Korean products cost on average W100,000 less than their Japanese counterparts, and they have other uses, such as for stew and soups.

The Cuckoo rice maker is now being prepped to conquer the Japanese market. So far, 5,500 Cuckoo rice makers were sold in Japan, but Sungkwang plans to sell this year 15,000 products, worth W1.6 billion in total, in the country through TV home shopping marketing. (Jang Il-hyeon, ihjang@chosun.com )