According to information released by KT&G on August 13, 2026, the company opened a heated tobacco brand exhibition called “lil Archive” on August 10 at the lil MINIMALIUM KT&G Tower store in Daechi-dong, Seoul, South Korea. The exhibition showcases the evolution of lil’s product platforms, technology development, and future brand strategy since the first lil device was launched in 2017.
KT&G also stated that lil accounted for 48% of South Korea’s heated tobacco market in the second quarter of 2026.
The opening of the exhibition comes as lil enters its 10th year. According to KT&G, the company aims to use the exhibition to look back at lil’s development from a single heated tobacco device into a multi-platform product portfolio while further strengthening the brand’s global positioning.
From lil SOLID to Three Major Product Platforms
KT&G launched the first-generation lil SOLID in 2017, followed by lil HYBRID in 2018 and lil AIBLE in 2022. The company currently considers these three product lines to be the core platforms of the lil brand.
The three platforms represent different approaches to heated tobacco technology.
lil SOLID represents KT&G’s traditional heated tobacco device platform. lil HYBRID uses a combination of dedicated tobacco sticks and cartridges, while lil AIBLE further expands the product concept with additional digital and device-related functions.
As the platform portfolio has expanded, KT&G said that the number of dedicated tobacco stick products for lil has now exceeded 30 varieties.
The newly opened lil Archive consists of nine themed spaces, including areas such as “Next Chapter” and “Beyond Borders.” The exhibition uses previous generations of devices, informational videos, product-development stories, and feature displays to illustrate the brand’s evolution.
Rather than serving simply as a product showcase, the exhibition also demonstrates how KT&G is working to transform lil from a specific product range into a broader brand asset with its own history, technology roadmap, and global development narrative.
KT&G Says lil Holds a 48% Share of the Korean Market
One of the most significant figures highlighted in the announcement is KT&G’s reported market share for lil in South Korea.
KT&G stated that lil held a 48% share of the Korean heated tobacco market in the second quarter of 2026.
The company did not provide additional details regarding the specific research organization or methodology used to calculate this figure in the announcement. Therefore, the 48% figure should be regarded as KT&G’s reported company data rather than an independently verified third-party market-share statistic.
A 48% share would place lil in a leading position in South Korea’s heated tobacco market. South Korea is one of the world’s more developed heated tobacco markets, where KT&G competes with major international tobacco companies, including Philip Morris International (PMI) with IQOS and British American Tobacco (BAT) with glo.
lil’s position in the Korean market is not a recent development. KT&G has previously described its domestic next-generation products (NGP) business as one of the company’s leading areas and has continued expanding its product portfolio through device upgrades and additional tobacco-stick offerings.
By highlighting the 48% market-share figure alongside the 10th anniversary of lil, KT&G is using the lil Archive opening not only as a brand showcase but also as an opportunity to reinforce the brand’s position in its home market.
From Korea to a Global Brand
The exhibition’s “Beyond Borders” section reflects KT&G’s broader ambition to develop lil from a leading Korean heated tobacco brand into a global brand.
lil’s international expansion has been supported by KT&G’s partnership with Philip Morris International. The two companies previously signed a global commercialization agreement under which PMI supports the distribution and commercialization of lil products outside South Korea.
lil has subsequently expanded into markets including Russia, Japan, Europe, and Central Asia. KT&G has previously stated that lil products have entered more than 20 international markets.
The company’s next-generation product strategy is also no longer limited to a single heated tobacco device category. KT&G’s broader NGP business strategy includes investments in heated tobacco, vapor products, and oral nicotine products.
Against this backdrop, the lil Archive can be viewed as part of KT&G’s broader brand strategy. While maintaining a strong position in the Korean heated tobacco market, the company is using lil’s product history, technological development, and brand identity to establish a more comprehensive narrative for its continued international expansion.
A Decade of Product and Technology Development
The evolution of lil over the past decade reflects the broader development of the heated tobacco category.
Beginning with the lil SOLID platform in 2017, KT&G gradually expanded its product architecture through different heating technologies, device designs, tobacco formats, and digital functions.
The company’s development of three distinct platforms also demonstrates an effort to address different consumer preferences rather than relying on a single device format.
With more than 30 dedicated tobacco-stick products now available, KT&G has also expanded the surrounding product ecosystem, giving the lil brand a broader portfolio beyond its hardware.
A Brand Strategy Beyond Individual Devices
The lil Archive exhibition provides KT&G with an opportunity to present this development as a unified brand story.
The nine themed spaces connect historical products with technology development and future plans, allowing visitors to see how lil has evolved since its initial launch.
The emphasis on themes such as “Next Chapter” and “Beyond Borders” also indicates that KT&G is looking beyond lil’s first decade.
Rather than positioning lil solely as a Korean heated tobacco product line, the company is increasingly presenting it as an international brand with a long-term product and technology roadmap.
Final Thoughts
Ten years after the launch of its first lil device, KT&G is using the lil Archive exhibition in Seoul to highlight the brand’s evolution from a single heated tobacco product into a multi-platform global business.
The development from lil SOLID to lil HYBRID and lil AIBLE, combined with more than 30 dedicated tobacco-stick products, demonstrates how KT&G has expanded its heated tobacco portfolio over the past decade.
KT&G’s reported 48% share of the South Korean heated tobacco market in Q2 2026 further underlines the importance of the domestic market to lil, although the figure remains company-reported rather than an independently verified market statistic.
At the same time, the company’s emphasis on international expansion and themes such as “Beyond Borders” suggests that the next stage of lil’s development will focus increasingly on global markets.
As KT&G continues investing in heated tobacco, vapor, and oral nicotine products, the lil Archive represents more than a retrospective exhibition. It is also a statement of the company’s ambition to turn lil into a long-term global next-generation nicotine brand.