'From baby food to 14 years': Why actor Han Ga-in won't replace her Samsung fridge

"In a word, it's 'reassurance.' When I think of my Samsung refrigerator, I'm reminded of my childhood in the countryside — my mother lifting kimchi out of the earthenware jars buried under winter snow."

For actor Han Ga-in, a Samsung refrigerator is more than a kitchen appliance. Han served as a Samsung Electronics advertising model for roughly eight years, from 2005 to 2012, and still uses Samsung products for most of her home appliances. Her refrigerator in particular has been with the family for 14 years — from storing breast milk and homemade baby food for her first child to the present day — making it, as she describes it, a fixture that holds the history of her family.

When choosing home appliances, Han says performance comes first. Her standard is that quality and after-sales service matter most for large appliances bought to last. She currently uses a Samsung refrigerator (model RRS34LSLT) that combines a premium metal finish with a restrained design.

"When a large appliance breaks down, daily life grinds to a halt immediately," she said. "Samsung Electronics offers reliable after-sales service, so I feel much more at ease when buying." Her current refrigerator has gone 14 years without a single service call. Its minimal design, she added, blends naturally with her kitchen interior.

Among the practical benefits she has noticed in daily use, Han highlighted precise temperature control and ample storage. She runs two refrigerators side by side — one for everyday ingredients and the other for items that cannot be kept at room temperature in summer, such as herbal medicine and her children's milk — each set to a different temperature.

"I can adjust the temperature to suit the characteristics of different ingredients and our family's lifestyle," she said. "It might seem like a minor feature, but for someone who uses it every day, it's the most satisfying part."

One incident over the 14 years brought the refrigerator's performance into sharp relief. A fire broke out on a lower floor of her building, cutting power for more than a day.

"Even now, thinking back on it makes me shudder," Han recalled. On her way home she had braced herself to find spoiled food or meltwater leaking onto the floor, but when she opened the door everything — including the frozen items — was largely intact. "That experience made me appreciate again just how well Samsung refrigerators preserve food and how good their insulation technology is," she said.

Han has recently turned her attention to AI-equipped refrigerators. After visiting a Samsung Store to look at the latest models in person, she was particularly drawn to a feature that tracks ingredients and their expiration dates.

"When I go grocery shopping I often forget what I already have at home and buy the same things again," she said. "If the refrigerator could keep track of that, alert me, and even suggest meal ideas based on what's left, I think it would cut down on unnecessary spending and stress."

Samsung's 2026 AI refrigerator lineup includes "AI Vision," which recognizes not only fresh ingredients but also processed-food labels, and "Food Note," which analyzes consumption patterns to generate personalized food reports. The features work together to suggest recipes or additional items to buy based on what the user already has on hand.

"It feels like the future I used to see only in movies has become real," Han said. "If the refrigerator can look after my lifestyle and even my health without me having to think about it — acting as a smart assistant — everyday life would become so much easier."