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CJ Group chairman reviews regional expansion in food, entertainment and beauty on UAE trip

Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 14:01 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 14:52

Lee Jae-hyun, CJ Group chairman, left, meets with Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, the culture minister of the United Arab Emirates, at CJ HumanVille in central Seoul on Dec. 16. [YONHAP]

Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to meet senior government officials and review plans to expand the conglomerate’s food, entertainment and beauty businesses across the Middle East, CJ Group said on Wednesday.

According to a press release, Lee traveled to the UAE for a week starting Dec. 6 as part of an on-site management tour aimed at assessing business growth opportunities in the region. The chairman traveled with key executives, including Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, CJ Corporation CEO Kim Hong-ki, CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun and Lee Sun-ho, head of CJ Corporation’s Future Strategy Group and Lee Jae-hyun’s eldest son.

During the visit, Lee Jae-hyun met Khaldoon Al Mubarak, managing director and CEO of Mubadala Investment Company, to discuss cooperation in cultural and economic fields. Al Mubarak played a central role in bilateral cooperation during the Korea-UAE summit.

Lee also held meetings with Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, and Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamed, chairman of the UAE National Media Office, to discuss cooperation across media, content and the broader cultural industry.

Lee also met with local employees alongside Gregory Yep, CEO of CJ Foods, during the trip.

“We must not miss the K-wave in the high-potential Middle East market and create new growth engines,” Lee said. “To leap forward as a global company, we must approach growth with urgency and commit to expanding into new territory."

CJ Group in November signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with companies in the Middle Eastern country during the Korea-UAE summit to pursue cooperation in the food and beauty businesses. In the food sector, CJ CheilJedang signed an MOU with UAE-based distributor Al Khayyat Investments to explore joint business opportunities.

The group plans to build a halal food portfolio inspired by the UAE and Saudi Arabia and to accelerate its K-food business across the Middle East.

Bibigo dumplings are displayed at a supermarket in Seoul on March 31. [YONHAP]

CJ Group said it plans to expand its presence across food, entertainment and beauty, using the visit as a springboard.

CJ CheilJedang selected halal-certified Bibigo seaweed snacks and instant stir-fried noodles as strategic products for the region and plans to expand distribution through major local retail channels in cooperation with Al Khayyat Investments.

CJ Olive Young also plans to support the market entry and sales expansion of K-beauty brands in the Middle East by leveraging local business networks.

“Chairman Lee has traveled overseas this year, starting with Japan and continuing through the United States and Europe to explore global expansion, with the Middle East as the final destination,” a CJ Group representative said. “Next year, the group plans to accelerate expansion into new markets and strengthen its global presence.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]