Another Milestone for Hotel Shilla Chief Lee Boojin After Her Son's Admission to Seoul National University

"Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards"
The Shilla Seoul Named South Korea's First Global Flagship Hotel

The Shilla Seoul has been invited as the only South Korean hotel to the Forbes Summit, an international event that brings together leading hotels from around the world.

In the "2026 Star Awards" announced on the 11th (local time) by the U.S. Forbes Travel Guide, The Shilla Seoul was selected as the first and only South Korean hotel to be named a "Global Flagship Hotel." It was included in the "Top Hotel Group," a separate list of just 51 hotels chosen from among five-star properties worldwide for their especially outstanding service. The Shilla Seoul will attend the Forbes Summit, a global conference of hotel leaders to be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from the 24th to the 27th of this month, representing South Korean hotels. The event is a luxury travel and hospitality conference hosted by Forbes Travel Guide and is a global meeting open only to invited participants. The Shilla Seoul has also maintained its five-star rating for eight consecutive years.

Lee Bujin, chairwoman of Hotel Shilla, attended the graduation ceremony of Whimoon High School in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 9th and walked arm in arm with her son Im Donghyun to a waiting car.

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Jongno, Seoul, also made the list of five-star hotels for the seventh consecutive year. Four Seasons received high marks for its location overlooking Gyeongbokgung Palace, its clean facilities, and its attentive service. Paradise City and Art Paradiso in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, both received four-star ratings. Paradise City has maintained its rating for seven consecutive years, and Art Paradiso for three consecutive years.

U.S. Forbes Travel Guide announced the "2026 Star Awards" on the 11th (local time), naming The Shilla Seoul as a "Global Leading Hotel" ? the first and only Korean hotel to receive the designation.

Forbes Travel Guide, launched in 1958, is a globally authoritative hotel rating system that evaluates hotels, restaurants, and spas worldwide across more than 900 criteria to assign ratings. Professional inspectors, whose identities are concealed, stay at the properties and assess the service, earning it the nickname "the Michelin Guide of hotels." When South Korea was first included in the evaluation in 2017, there were no five-star hotels, but ratings have been maintained and upgraded each year.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman Lee's eldest son, Lim Donghyun, was admitted to the Department of Economics at Seoul National University through the early admission process. On the 9th, Lee attended her son's graduation ceremony at Hwimun High School in Gangnam District, Seoul, together with his aunt, Hong Ra-young, former deputy director-general of the Leeum Museum of Art. At the ceremony, Lee repeatedly waved at her son and beamed with a bright smile. Lim, who was a vocalist in the school band, went on stage at an event held before the graduation ceremony and passionately sang "Never Ending Story" by the band Boohwal and "To You" by Shin Haechul. Watching with a smile, Lee clapped along and sang the songs with him.

Born in 2007, Lim attended Gyeonggi Elementary School and Hwimun Middle School before graduating from Hwimun High School. He recently drew attention when it became known that he had been admitted to the Department of Economics at Seoul National University with an excellent score on the College Scholastic Ability Test, missing only a single question.