GS Caltex
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSouth Korean energy and chemical company jointly owned by GS Group and Chevron.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
GS Caltex is a South Korean energy and chemical company jointly owned by GS Group and Chevron. Established in May 1967 in partnership with Caltex, it was the first private oil company founded in South Korea. The company was initially created to broaden the country's refining base and support the development of a modern petroleum industry alongside the state-owned and other established energy businesses of the period. The company operated for many years under the LG-Caltex Oil name. In 2005, following the separation of GS Group from LG Corporation, it adopted the GS Caltex name. The rebranding reflected the company's continuing joint-ownership structure while aligning its identity with GS Group's newly independent corporate organization. Chevron remains associated with the Caltex heritage and provides the international partner dimension of the business. GS Caltex's principal activities span petroleum refining, petrochemicals, base oils, lubricants and greases. Its major manufacturing base is the Yeosu Complex in South Jeolla Province, a large integrated site producing refined petroleum products and petrochemicals. The company also operates a lubricant plant in Incheon. Its refining system includes substantial heavy-oil upgrading capability, allowing it to convert heavier feedstocks into lighter petroleum products, including gasoline and other higher-value outputs. The company imports crude oil from a broad range of producing countries, including suppliers in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, the United States and Australia. The chemical business developed progressively from polypropylene production in the late 1980s into aromatics and other petrochemical materials. GS Caltex later expanded its plans for olefins production, including ethylene and polyethylene capacity, to deepen the integration of its Yeosu operations. These activities place the company between conventional oil refining and more diversified chemical manufacturing, with products serving transportation, industrial, packaging and manufacturing markets. Base oils and lubricants form another important business area. GS Caltex began producing base oil in 2007 and subsequently increased capacity. Its Kixx brand, launched in 2005, initially focused on engine oils for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. From 2017, Kixx broadened its range to include additional automotive and industrial lubricant applications. The company sells refined products, petrochemicals and lubricants both in South Korea and abroad. GS Caltex has developed a strongly export-oriented business model. Export sales represented 54 percent of sales by 2009, and company reference material states that its petroleum, petrochemical and lubricant products were exported to 57 countries as of 2022. Its activities therefore combine domestic refining and distribution with international commodity, chemical and lubricant sales. Publicly available reference material identifies the company as active, but does not provide enough information here to describe current leadership, financial results or a complete ownership percentage breakdown.
History
GS Caltex was founded in May 1967 through a partnership involving Caltex, becoming South Korea's first private oil company. Its creation occurred during the formative period of the country's industrialization, when petroleum refining capacity was being expanded to support transportation, manufacturing and broader economic development. The partnership gave the business a domestic operating base while connecting it to Caltex's international petroleum heritage. The company later operated under the LG-Caltex Oil Corporation name. During this period it expanded beyond basic refining into petrochemical production and related downstream activities. A polypropylene plant was built in 1988, marking an early step into chemical materials. The company entered the aromatics business in 1990, adding products used as industrial chemical feedstocks and strengthening the integration between its refinery and chemical operations. A major manufacturing center developed at Yeosu in South Jeolla Province. The Yeosu Complex became the core of the company's petroleum and petrochemical production system. GS Caltex also developed heavy-oil upgrading infrastructure, enabling it to process heavier crude fractions into lighter and more valuable products. Reference material describes the company's refining capacity as 800,000 barrels per day on a stream-day basis and its heavy-oil upgrading capacity as 274,000 barrels per day. The company sources crude from approximately 30 countries and around 80 crude types, reflecting a strategy of feedstock diversification. In 2005, the company changed its name from LG-Caltex Oil Corporation to GS Caltex Corporation. The change followed the split of GS Group from LG Corporation and represented the alignment of the oil company with GS Group's new corporate identity. The same year, GS Caltex launched Kixx, its own lubricant brand. Kixx began with engine oils for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles, then developed into a wider automotive and industrial lubricant portfolio. The company added base-oil production in November 2007, initially with capacity of 16,000 barrels per day. By 2011, the cited production capacity had risen to 26,000 barrels per day, and more than 70 percent of base-oil output was exported according to the referenced company information. GS Caltex also produces lubricants and greases at its dedicated lubricant facilities, including the Incheon plant. Petrochemical expansion continued through aromatics, polypropylene and planned olefins investments. Reference material describes annual aromatics capacity of 2.8 million tonnes and polypropylene capacity of 180,000 tonnes. It also identifies a mixed-feed cracker project near the Yeosu No. 2 Complex, designed around annual capacities of 750,000 tonnes of ethylene and 500,000 tonnes of polyethylene. These investments reflect the company's effort to increase the share of higher-value chemical products in its integrated manufacturing system. GS Caltex increasingly developed international sales alongside its South Korean operations. Exports represented 54 percent of sales by 2009. By 2022, the company was described as exporting petroleum, petrochemical and lubricant products to 57 countries. Its current business profile consequently encompasses refining, chemical feedstocks, polymers, base oils, lubricants and greases, with the Yeosu and Incheon facilities supporting both domestic and overseas markets. The available reference material does not establish a complete chronology of later projects, current executives or recent financial performance.
- 2022
International export network documented across 57 countries
[1]Reference material describes GS Caltex as exporting petroleum, petrochemical and lubricant products to 57 countries by 2022.
- 2017
Kixx portfolio broadened
[1]Kixx expanded beyond its initial vehicle-engine-oil focus to cover a broader range of automotive and industrial lubricant applications.
- 2007
Base-oil production begins
[1]GS Caltex began producing base oil in November, initially reporting capacity of 16,000 barrels per day.
- 2005
Corporate name changed to GS Caltex
[1]Following GS Group's separation from LG Corporation, LG-Caltex Oil Corporation adopted the GS Caltex Corporation name.
- 2005
Kixx lubricant brand launched
[1]GS Caltex introduced Kixx as its lubricant brand, initially targeting passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and motorcycles.
- 1990
Aromatics business launched
[1]GS Caltex expanded into aromatics, adding chemical feedstocks to its refining and polypropylene activities.
- 1988
Polypropylene production begins
[1]The company constructed a polypropylene plant, marking a significant move from petroleum refining into petrochemical materials.
- 1967
Company founded as South Korea's first private oil company
[1]GS Caltex was established in May through a partnership with Caltex, creating the first private oil company in South Korea.
Products and positioning
An integrated South Korean refining, petrochemical and lubricant company combining domestic energy infrastructure with an export-oriented international business.
Petroleum refining
Refined petroleum products
Produced primarily at the Yeosu Complex, GS Caltex's refined petroleum portfolio includes gasoline and other fuels and light petroleum products. Its heavy-oil upgrading capability is designed to convert heavier refinery streams into higher-value lighter products.
Petrochemical materials · 1988
Petrochemicals
GS Caltex produces and plans to expand chemical materials including aromatics, polypropylene, ethylene and polyethylene. These products extend the company beyond fuel refining into industrial feedstocks and polymer materials used by downstream manufacturers.
Lubricants · 2005
Kixx
Kixx is GS Caltex's lubricant brand. Launched in 2005 with engine oils for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and motorcycles, it later expanded to a wider selection of automotive and industrial lubricant products.
Lubricant feedstocks · 2007
Base oils
GS Caltex began base-oil production in 2007 and increased its cited capacity to 26,000 barrels per day by 2011. More than 70 percent of base-oil output was reported as exported in the reference material.
Industrial lubricants
Greases
Grease products are manufactured alongside lubricants at GS Caltex's dedicated lubricant operations, serving industrial and equipment-maintenance applications.
Brand decisions
2017
Expansion of the Kixx product rangeOtherBackground
Kixx had initially concentrated on engine oils for road vehicles, while the broader lubricant market included industrial applications.
Action taken
GS Caltex broadened Kixx to cover additional automotive and industrial lubricant solutions.
Aftermath
The brand became a wider lubricant platform rather than a narrowly focused passenger-vehicle engine-oil line.
2007
Entry into base-oil productionStrategyBackground
The company pursued greater vertical integration in lubricant feedstocks and downstream products.
Action taken
GS Caltex began base-oil production in November with cited capacity of 16,000 barrels per day.
Aftermath
Capacity was reported to have reached 26,000 barrels per day by 2011, with most output exported.
2005
Rebrand following the GS–LG corporate splitStrategyBackground
GS Group separated from LG Corporation, requiring the former LG-Caltex Oil identity to be aligned with the newly independent GS Group.
Action taken
The company changed its corporate name to GS Caltex Corporation.
Aftermath
The new name established the brand's continuing association with GS Group while retaining the Caltex partnership heritage.
2005
Launch of Kixx lubricantsProduct launchBackground
GS Caltex sought to develop a branded downstream lubricant business alongside its refining and chemical operations.
Action taken
The company introduced Kixx, initially focusing on engine oils for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles.
Aftermath
Kixx later expanded into broader automotive and industrial lubricant applications.
Recent events
Reported
GS Caltex and Ikea Korea team up on pickup service[3]
GS Caltex and Ikea Korea teamed up to launch a pickup service for online Ikea orders at a gas station in Seoul’s Gangnam district, with plans to expand to other locations later in the year.
Reported
GS Caltex launches Energy Plus app beta[4]
GS Caltex launched the beta version of its Energy Plus app in South Korea. The app offers fueling and vehicle-management services; its beta was to be piloted among 1,000 customers through the end of August, with a full version scheduled for September.
Reported
GS Caltex launches Kixx Hybrid lubricants[5]
GS Caltex launched Kixx Hybrid, a lubricant product dedicated to hybrid vehicles, and said it was the first refinery in South Korea to launch such lubricants.
Reported
GS Caltex and Petrolimex Saigon sign gas-station operations agreement[6]
GS Caltex said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam’s Petrolimex Saigon to share gas-station operating expertise and cooperate on developing offline businesses at Petrolimex Saigon’s stations, including by introducing the autoOasis auto-maintenance franchise.
Sources6 sources
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