Netmarble and Coway, led by Chair Bang Jun-hyuk, known as an "innovator across disparate industries," announced surprise third-quarter 2025 results on the 6th and 7th, respectively. Netmarble posted 241.7 billion won in operating profit in the third quarter, surpassing last year's annual operating profit (215.6 billion won) in just three quarters, while revenue also continued to rise, surpassing a cumulative 2 trillion won. Coway also achieved third-quarter revenue of 1.2544 trillion won and operating profit of 243.1 billion won, breaking its own records each quarter.
According to the industry, Bang Jun-hyuk, chair of Netmarble and Coway, is drawing attention as a leading case of convergence management that ties the disparate sectors of games and subscriptions under a single management philosophy. Netmarble and Coway both posted double-digit year-over-year growth, proving that Bang's "two-track growth strategy" is translating into tangible results.
Netmarble, buoyed by successive hits from new titles, recorded 90.9 billion won in third-quarter operating profit, up 38.8% from a year earlier. With a higher share of in-house intellectual property (IP) reducing commission payout rates, the operating margin rose to 13.1%. Netmarble also previewed eight anticipated titles for 2026, including "The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin" to be unveiled at G-STAR 2025, accelerating efforts to secure future growth engines.
During the same period, Coway's revenue and operating profit rose 14.0% and 17.4% year over year to 1.2544 trillion won and 243.1 billion won, respectively. In Korea, robust sales of the "Icon ice water purifier" series of three models led to 12.0% growth (740.2 billion won) from the same period a year earlier. With a lineup diversification strategy, ice water purifier sales in August–September increased 25% year over year, setting a new record.
Beyond steady growth centered on environmental home appliances, expansion of the BEREX brand (beds, massage chairs, etc.), which Bang set as a new growth pillar after the acquisition, drove overall results. The overseas institutional sector grew 19.9% year over year, and, in particular, balanced improvements at major Asian subsidiaries such as Malaysia (+20.0%) and Thailand (+28.5%) solidified its position as a global subscription economy corporations.
An industry official said, "Chair Bang Jun-hyuk's strategic leadership, which has solved the DNA of disparate industries—games and subscriptions—into a single growth formula, appears successful so far," adding, "We look forward to how Bang will continue to grow both Netmarble and Coway."