Key Points
- KT&G opened lil Archive on Aug. 10 at its lil MINIMALIUM KT&G Tower location in Daechi-dong, Seoul, announcing the opening on Aug. 13.
- The exhibition consists of nine themed spaces covering devices, platform development and the brand's future direction.
- Since launching lil SOLID in 2017, KT&G has expanded the portfolio to three platforms: lil SOLID, lil HYBRID and lil AIBLE.
- KT&G says the lil portfolio now includes more than 30 dedicated consumable products.
- The company said lil held a 48% share of South Korea's heated tobacco market in Q2 2026; the figure is company-reported.
- KT&G says it aims to develop lil beyond its domestic market leadership into a broader global brand.
2Firsts
August 14, 2026
KT&G said on Aug. 13, 2026, that it had opened a new brand exhibition space for its heated tobacco brand lil on Aug. 10 at the lil MINIMALIUM KT&G Tower location in Daechi-dong, Seoul, showcasing the product platforms, technology development and brand direction built since lil's launch in 2017. The company also said lil held a 48% share of South Korea's heated tobacco market in the second quarter of 2026.
The opening comes as lil enters its 10th year on the market. KT&G is using the exhibition to frame the brand's evolution from a single heated tobacco device into a broader multi-platform portfolio while reinforcing its longer-term global ambitions.
From lil SOLID to a Three-Platform Portfolio
KT&G launched the first-generation lil SOLID in 2017, followed by lil HYBRID in 2018 and lil AIBLE in 2022. Those products now form the three main technology platforms within the lil portfolio.
lil SOLID represents the brand's conventional heated tobacco platform, while lil HYBRID combines dedicated tobacco sticks with cartridges. lil AIBLE later expanded the portfolio with additional digital and device functions.
KT&G says the portfolio now includes more than 30 dedicated consumable products across the platforms.
The new lil Archive is divided into nine themed spaces, including sections titled “Next Chapter” and “Beyond Borders.” Devices, videos, platform-development stories and product features are used to present the brand's technology and product evolution.
Beyond serving as a consumer-facing exhibition, the space also reflects KT&G's effort to position lil as a standalone brand asset with its own product history, technology narrative and international ambitions.
KT&G Reports 48% Domestic Market Share
The most significant market data disclosed alongside the opening was lil's share of South Korea's heated tobacco category.
KT&G said lil accounted for 48% of the South Korean heated tobacco market in the second quarter of 2026. Public reports carrying the figure do not specify the underlying data provider or methodology, so the 48% figure should be treated as a company-reported market-share estimate rather than an independently verified measure.
The figure places lil among the leading products in one of the world's more developed heated tobacco markets, where KT&G competes with Philip Morris International's IQOS and British American Tobacco's glo.
The position is not new. KT&G has previously described its domestic NGP business as a market-leading operation and has continued to broaden its device and consumables portfolio.
By highlighting the 48% figure as lil enters its 10th year, KT&G is using the archive opening not only as a brand event but also as a platform to reinforce its domestic market position.
Building lil Beyond South Korea
KT&G has also used the new exhibition to reinforce lil's international ambitions, including through a “Beyond Borders” section focused on the brand's future direction.
The company's overseas expansion of lil has previously been supported by its commercial partnership with Philip Morris International. Under earlier agreements, PMI helped commercialize lil outside South Korea, with the brand entering markets including Russia, Japan and other countries across Europe and Central Asia. KT&G previously said lil had expanded into more than 20 overseas markets.
KT&G's broader next-generation product strategy now extends beyond a single heated tobacco platform. The company's current business strategy identifies heated tobacco, vapor and oral nicotine as key areas of future NGP investment.
Against that backdrop, lil Archive can be viewed as part of a broader brand-building strategy: maintaining a strong domestic position while creating a more coherent technology, product and brand narrative for further international expansion.
KT&G said it plans to continue using its accumulated technology and product-development capabilities to create new consumer value and grow lil from a leading domestic brand into one with broader global reach.
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Cover Image source: KT&G
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