BAT Korea unveiled Monday its upgraded heat-not-burn tobacco heating device Glo Series 2 and flavor-intense HNB tobacco stick Neo, designed exclusively for the Glo device.

BAT Korea showcased Glo Series 2 for the first time globally during a press conference in Seoul. 

“Korea has always been a very important market for BAT. The size of our operation here and investment for years talk for it,” said Matthieu Juery, CEO of BAT Korea and Taiwan Cluster, during the event. 

In June last year, BAT Korea injected 200 billion won ($177 million) to construct its second and third manufacturing plants in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. 

“Korea is where BAT’s most tech-advanced and state of the art factories in Sacheon are located, producing the latest high-tech products here in Korea,” Juery said.

The company said it upgraded Glo Series 2 with intuitive buttons and a simple, sleek body that comes in two colors, black and grey, in six variants, including Bright tobacco, Fresh, Switch and Purple. 

Glo Series 2 will go on sale at 90,000 won ($80) at Glo flagship stores in Gangnam, Garosu-gil and Hongdae, its official online mall and all convenience stores nationwide from July 30. 

The release comes as competition in the HNB market has intensified since last year in Korea. 

Regarding the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s safety result in June on HNB tobacco devices, the company said it is aware of “room for improvement.”

“To increase their satisfaction and product improvement, we have seen areas for improvement, which we are bringing to the market right now,” said James Murphy, head of BAT Group’s risk reduction.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)