CJ CheilJedang's Sobaba Chicken enters US, Japan

South Korea's CJ CheilJedang Corp. said on Wednesday its frozen fried chicken Sobaba Chicken entered Costco stores in the US and Japan.

Sobaba Chicken has been available at Costco in the US since early this month and has now been rolled out to all Costco locations in Japan.

The product will also be introduced in Europe next month. CJ CheilJedang plans to initially launch it in ethnic markets in the UK, France, and Germany, and expand distribution channels and markets to other countries in the future.

Sobaba Chicken is a product that achieves crispiness through CJ CheilJedang's sauce-coating technology.

Staying true to the product's defining feature—remaining crispy even with sauce—CJ CheilJedang has adapted the flavor profiles to cater to local cooking habits and tastes.

Since introducing its first Sobaba Chicken product, Soy Honey, in April last year, CJ CheilJedang has achieved cumulative sales of 120 billion won ($86 million) as of the third week of this month.

While it is marketed under the gourmet brand in South Korea, the product is sold under the Bibigo brand overseas as part of the company's global strategy to unify its K-food offerings under the Bibigo name.

Write to Sul-Li Jun at sljun@hankyung.com