Jung Yoon-yi, Vice President of Haevichi Hotel & Resort
Efforts and Investment to Recruit World-Class Chefs
Commitment to Becoming a 'Destination Hotel'
Opening of Fine Dining Restaurant in Jeju
Establishment of Food Lab for Ingredient Research and Original Menu Development
Jung Yoon-yi, Vice President of Haevichi Hotel & Resort
[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] With Hyundai Motor Group's integrated headquarters, the Global Business Center (GBC), breaking ground in May aiming for completion in 2026, the business community's attention is turning to Jung Yoon-yi, Vice President of Haevichi Hotel & Resort (photo). The 105-story GBC will house not only office spaces but also complex facilities such as hotels, convention centers, and performance halls, leading to expectations that Vice President Jung Yoon-yi, who has been steadily managing the group's hotel business, will take on greater responsibilities.
Jung Yoon-yi, the third daughter among one son and three daughters of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo, is expanding her presence beyond her previous 'reclusive management' style. Unlike her two elder sisters, Jung Sung-yi, an advisor at Innocean, and Jung Myung-yi, an advisor at Hyundai Commercial, who maintain quiet management roles, she is the only one actively involved in frontline management alongside her youngest brother, Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun of Hyundai Motor Group. Around 2018, she was promoted from executive director to vice president and currently works closely with Kim Min-soo, CEO of Haevichi Hotel & Resort.
The area Vice President Jung Yoon-yi focuses on most is the hotel's food and beverage (F&B) competitiveness. Her decision to establish a fine dining restaurant in Jeju, a challenging endeavor even in Seoul, is part of this effort. She holds the belief that the hotel itself must become a 'destination hotel.' A prime example is 'Millieu,' the fine dining restaurant on the first floor of Haevichi Jeju, which opened last year. To attract talented chefs, she even undertook a trip to the unfamiliar Republic of South Africa. This was to recruit the Korean sous chef (deputy head chef) of 'Test Kitchen,' ranked among the '2019 World’s Best Restaurants.' The recruited chef also participated in preparations for launching 'Food Lab,' Haevichi's dedicated food development facility. At Food Lab, dishes are developed to match the purpose and concept of each business location. For example, for Korean restaurants, traditional Korean ingredients are used in various ways to bring out authentic flavors. The developed dishes are sent to the operational sites, supplemented, and then commercialized as actual menu items.
Alongside the hotel business, Vice President Jung's role has expanded as she concurrently manages various businesses such as golf courses, restaurants, and outsourced F&B operations. In 2017, she began operating cafes and restaurants within Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang. At the end of 2018, she opened 'Michael's by Haevichi,' an American dining restaurant, in Centropolis, a landmark office building in Jung-gu, Seoul. Notably, Michael's by Haevichi saw a 35% increase in sales from January 1 to June 17 this year compared to the same period last year, just a year and a half after opening. Given that Centropolis has only recently resolved its vacancy issues as a new office facility, expectations for a performance rebound are high. SSG.com, a subsidiary of Shinsegae Group, has also recently established its base there. Centropolis is also a place where Haevichi manages office workspaces on behalf of the office employees residing there.
In May of this year, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Korean restaurant 'Suwun' and the Chinese restaurant 'Jungsim' were opened consecutively. Suwun offers modern Korean cuisine inspired by the Joseon Dynasty culinary text 'Suwun Japbang,' while Jungsim is an authentic Cantonese-based Chinese restaurant with the concept of 'slow Chinese cuisine.'
A hotel insider familiar with internal affairs said, "Vice President Jung Yoon-yi has been thoughtfully overseeing hotel hygiene and overall management by personally traveling between Jeju (Haevichi) and Hwaseong (Rolling Hills). In the past two to three years, her interest in new businesses has grown, and she has increasingly turned her attention globally, resulting in more overseas business trips."
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