Who owns ESSE?
ESSE is owned by KT&G (South Korea, KRX: 033780).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: KT&G Launches its Global Brand ESSE in Germany, Making a Full-scale Entry into the European Market, KT&G Corporation. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- KT&G Corporation reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇰🇷 South Korea, Daejeon
- Origin
- 🇰🇷 South Korea
- Founded
- 1996
- Category
- Tobacco & nicotine › Tobacco products › Cigarettes
- Parent ticker
- KRX: 033780
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About ESSE
ESSE is KT&G's flagship superslim cigarette brand, launched in Korea in 1996 and expanded internationally from 2001, starting with the Middle East and Russia. KT&G's own press material describes ESSE as the global number one superslim cigarette brand, holding roughly one-third of the worldwide superslim category, sold in around 90 countries, and having passed one trillion cumulative sticks sold across Korea and international markets by its 30th anniversary. In 2013 KT&G launched ESSE Change, which it describes as the world's first ultra-slim cigarette with a flavour capsule in the filter.
Ownership timeline of ESSE
Where ESSE sits in KT&G
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full KT&G ownership tree →
See the full KT&G brand portfolio (5) →
Other brands owned by KT&G
KT&G controls 5 brands on Brandtree, 5 of them in tobacco & nicotine.
Also in tobacco & nicotine
Other brands in cigarettes, and who owns them
The 81 brands in cigarettes on Brandtree belong to 13 owners. The largest is Imperial Brands, with 11; KT&G has 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| GG Mild | Gudang Garam | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| Crowns | Imperial Brands | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Camel (United States) | British American Tobacco | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| American Legend | Karelia | 🇬🇷 Greece |
| Boston (Eastern cigarettes) | Eastern Company | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
| Djarum 76 | Djarum | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| Capstan | ITC | 🇮🇳 India |
| Camel | Japan Tobacco | 🇯🇵 Japan |
About the owner: KT&G
KT&G is a publicly listed company headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, founded in 1899. Brandtree records 5 brands under its control, and it is listed as KRX: 033780.
KT&G is a South Korean tobacco, next-generation-products and ginseng company, tracing its state monopoly origins to 1899 and its present publicly listed corporate form to a 2002 privatisation, when it was renamed from Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation to KT&G. Its own press material describes it as holding the number one position in Korea across combustible cigarettes, next-generation products (NGP) and health functional foods, exporting more than 870 brands to around 148 countries as of 2024. Its flagship cigarette brand, ESSE, was launched in Korea in 1996 and, per KT&G, has grown into the global number one superslim cigarette brand with roughly one-third share of the worldwide superslim category and cumulative sales past one trillion sticks as of 2025.
🇰🇷 ESSE and other South Korean brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 237 brands that began in South Korea. 12 of them (5%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; ESSE is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of ESSE?
The parent company of ESSE is KT&G, a publicly listed company headquartered in South Korea.
Is ESSE South Korean?
Yes. ESSE originated in South Korea in 1996 and its owner, KT&G, is also headquartered in South Korea.
Is ESSE still owned by KT&G?
Yes. As of 21 September 2026, ESSE is still owned by KT&G. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] KT&G Launches its Global Brand ESSE in Germany, Making a Full-scale Entry into the European Market — KT&G Corporation, Official press release; retrieved 21 September 2026.
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