Visited UAE to Meet Government Officials
Final Global On-Site Management After Japan, US, and Europe
Full-Scale Expansion into K-Food, Beauty, and More
Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ Group, chose the Middle East as his final destination for on-site management this year. This move reflects Chairman Lee's judgment that the Middle Eastern market, with its high growth potential, must be secured early. His visit to the Middle East comes about a year after his official invitation from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture in September last year. Chairman Lee has continued his global on-site management this year, starting with Japan and then visiting the United States and Europe in succession.
On the 17th, CJ Group announced, "Chairman Lee Jae-hyun visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for about a week starting from the 6th, meeting with key government officials to discuss business cooperation and assess the potential for expanding into the Middle Eastern market." Key executives who accompanied him on this trip included Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung, CEO Kim Hong-ki, CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun, and Lee Sun-ho, Head of Future Strategy Group.
Chairman Lee stated, "We must never miss the opportunity for the Korean Wave in the high-potential Middle Eastern market and must create new growth engines," adding, "To become a global company that leads the lifestyle of people around the world, we must have a sense of urgency about growth and take bold steps to expand into new territories."
Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ Group, met with Abdullah Al Hamad, Chairman of the UAE National Media Office, to discuss business strategies. CJ Group
Chairman Lee first met with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chief Executive Officer of Mubadala and Head of the UAE Executive Affairs Authority, to discuss cooperation in the fields of culture and economy. Khaldoon Al Mubarak played a leading role in bilateral cooperation during the last Korea-UAE summit. He and Chairman Lee previously met during on-site management in the United Kingdom in September last year. Chairman Lee also held meetings with Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, and Abdullah Al Hamad, Chairman of the UAE National Media Office. The discussions covered potential cooperation and local business strategies across the cultural industry, including media, content, tourism, and sports.
On-site inspections related to the food business also continued. Chairman Lee, accompanied by Gregory Yep, Head of the Food Business Division at CJ CheilJedang, met with local employees to review growth strategies in the Middle East, focusing on halal food. CJ CheilJedang first entered the Middle Eastern market in 2015 by supplying Bibigo dumplings, kimchi, and seaweed snacks to major UAE supermarkets. During the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the company operated a K-Food Zone near local stadiums, introducing Bibigo seaweed snacks, Hetbahn instant rice, and kimchi.
CJ Group plans to use this visit as a springboard to expand its activities in the Middle East across major businesses such as food, entertainment, and beauty. CJ CheilJedang has selected halal-certified "Bibigo Seaweed Snacks" and "Stir-fried Noodles" as its strategic products for the region and is working with UAE-based Al Khayyat Investments (AK), which has a sales network spanning six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, to expand its local distribution channels.
Last month, CJ Olive Young signed a financial business agreement with Life Healthcare Group (LHG), the leading healthcare distributor in the UAE, to cooperate in the distribution of K-beauty products. LHG owns "Life Pharmacy," the number one drugstore chain in the UAE, operating more than 500 offline stores and an online mall across the country. CJ Olive Young plans to support the entry and sales growth of K-beauty brands in the Middle East by leveraging its product sourcing capabilities and LHG's distribution network.
CJ ENM is expanding its business in Saudi Arabia through its local subsidiary "CJ ENM Middle East," collaborating with local broadcasters and content companies. The company has established partnerships with local firms such as Manga Productions in 2023 and Sela in 2024, and in June this year, it signed a financial business agreement with Shahid, the largest Arabic streaming platform in the Middle East.
In the logistics sector, CJ Logistics is expanding its business base throughout the Middle East. CJ Logistics operates 24 subsidiaries and 7 logistics centers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and T?rkiye. In April this year, the company launched a pilot operation of a Global Distribution Center (GDC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and in May, it formed a partnership with local logistics company Naqel Express.
Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ Group, met with Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture of the UAE, on the 16th at the CJ Talent Institute in Pildong. CJ Group
Meanwhile, on the 16th, Chairman Lee met with Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture of the UAE, Abdullah Saif Al Nuaimi, UAE Ambassador to Korea, and other officials from the UAE Ministry of Culture at the CJ Talent Institute in Pildong. The two sides discussed topics including premium content production and investment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and cooperation in exporting K-beauty products.
A CJ Group official stated, "Chairman Lee Jae-hyun has personally visited key global locations in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East this year to assess major strategic bases," adding, "We plan to continue pioneering new markets to secure future growth engines."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
