The hair tie that Norway national soccer team's star striker Erling Haaland has worn in every match at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup has drawn attention after it became known as a product from a small and midsize company in Chuncheon, Gangwon.
According to Chuncheon City and related industry officials on the 15th, the hair tie brand "KKNEKKI" produced by Dooji, a company based in the Namsan Industrial Complex in Chuncheon, became a hot topic among soccer fans as Haaland continued to wear it during this World Cup.
The product is designed not to stretch easily and to slip less, even during intense movement or heavy sweating. After Haaland was seen wearing it, orders rose quickly, and the company reportedly logged its highest sales for a short period recently.
KKNEKKI is a brand developed by CEO Jo Hyuntae, who is from Hamyang, South Gyeongsang. The brand name comes from a Gyeongsang dialect word meaning thread or string.
Jo signed a license agreement in 2015 with BONDEP of Norway and entered the European market. After transferring the distribution trademark in 2023, the company has continued to make products at its Chuncheon plant while maintaining exclusivity and core production technology.
Haaland's connection with KKNEKKI began in an English Premier League match. After confirming that Haaland wore the company's product during a game, Jo produced and delivered hair ties matched to Manchester City's uniform colors.
Ahead of the World Cup, the company also introduced a "Haaland edition" that reflected colors Haaland chose himself. The product reportedly drew such strong interest that it sold out after launch.
CEO Jo Hyuntae said, "It is meaningful that the technology we have built up in Chuncheon has been recognized in the global market," adding, "We are preparing a new brand, 'JOLLAME,' and plan to take on the global market with another product."
Chuncheon City sees this case as a successful example of a local manufacturing company expanding overseas and plans to expand support for developing overseas sales channels and global marketing for corporations in the industrial complex.
Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han said, "It is a meaningful achievement that a local company, which has been devoted to technology development at the Namsan Industrial Complex, has had its competitiveness recognized in the global market," adding, "We will continue to strengthen the competitiveness of the industrial complex and support corporations so that the second and third Dooji can be born."