CJ chair visits KCON LA with same founding spirit

CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun visited KCON LA 2026 over the weekend, marking his second trip to the United States in three months. During the event, which took place in Los Angeles from Friday to Sunday, Lee toured Olive Young’s first beauty festival and attended the K-pop concert. His presence underscored CJ Group’s growing focus on the U.S., the company’s largest overseas market. Lee’s visit followed a previous trip in May, during which he inspected key CJ operations across the U.S. At that time, he emphasized the need for greater collaboration among the group’s food, beauty, and entertainment divisions. This latest appearance at KCON LA reinforced that message, highlighting CJ’s commitment to expanding its influence through Korean pop culture and related industries. During his time at the event, Lee sampled new products from CJ CheilJedang’s Bibigo brand, including recently launched kimchi noodles. He commented that the product “needs a kick,” suggesting potential improvements or enhancements. He also observed the live concert, noting how fans engaged with the performances. In addition, he directed executives to prioritize attracting American audiences to subscribe to Mnet Plus, CJ’s K-pop streaming service. The chairman’s actions reflect a broader strategy aimed at integrating Korean cultural exports with tangible consumer goods and services. According to CJ Corp. CEO Heo Min-heoi, the company is uniquely positioned in the U.S. due to its diverse portfolio encompassing food, entertainment, and beauty sectors. Heo stated that CJ plans to create an ecosystem rooted in Korean lifestyle experiences to accelerate its expansion in North America. CJ Group has set ambitious financial goals for its North American operations, aiming to achieve 12 trillion won ($8.5 billion) in sales by 2028. This represents a significant increase from the 8 trillion won recorded last year. The company believes that achieving this target depends on effectively connecting its various business segments to drive organic growth. “We want to extend interest in K-content into habitual, repeated consumption of K-food and K-beauty, and let that loop back into offline cultural experiences,” said CJ America CEO Kim Jin-sik. This approach aims to transform casual interest in Korean culture into sustained engagement through both digital and physical platforms. CJ’s U.S. operations have expanded rapidly in recent years. By mid-2026, cumulative investments in North America had reached 9.7 trillion won. Revenue generated last year exceeded ten times the amount recorded in 2017. The K-food sector alone has grown into a $2 billion U.S. market, while K-beauty has achieved a comparable scale. The company’s content division has also reached the hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars range. Kim highlighted the infrastructure supporting CJ’s U.S. presence, noting that the company operates 20 food production facilities and 55 CJ Logistics warehouses. Additionally, CJ employs more than 12,000 workers in the U.S., with affiliated companies active in 33 states. Further investments are planned as the company continues to expand its footprint in the region. Lee’s participation in KCON LA illustrates CJ Group’s ongoing efforts to leverage K-pop and other forms of Korean cultural expression as tools for international growth. His emphasis on synergy between different business units suggests a strategic vision focused on creating a cohesive global brand identity centered around Korean lifestyle and consumer experiences. CJ Group’s ambitions for North America are evident in both its financial targets and operational scale. With continued investment and integration of its diverse business lines, the company appears poised to solidify its position as a leading multinational enterprise in the region.