| By Biz Chosun

Chairman Lee Jay-hyun Concludes Global Tour With Focus on High-Potential Gulf Markets

CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun has turned his attention to the Middle East, visiting the United Arab Emirates for about a week starting December 6 to explore new business opportunities and strengthen cooperation with key government stakeholders. The UAE visit marked the final destination of Lee’s global management tour this year, following stops in Japan, the United States, and Europe, signaling the region’s growing strategic importance for the conglomerate.

Accompanying Lee on the trip were CJ Vice Chair Lee Mie-kyung, CJ Corporation CEO Kim Hong-ki, CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun, and Lee Sun-ho, head of future planning at CJ Corporation.

High-Level Talks Signal Deeper Cultural and Economic Cooperation

During the visit, Lee met Khaldoon Al Mubarak, head of the UAE Executive Affairs Authority and CEO of sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, to discuss cooperation across cultural and economic sectors. Khaldoon previously played a key role in advancing bilateral ties during the Korea-UAE summit last month and has maintained ongoing engagement with CJ leadership.

Further discussions were held with Mohamed Al Mubarak, chair of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, and Abdulla Al Hammadi, chair of the UAE National Media Office. Talks centered on expanding collaboration in media, content production, tourism, sports, and entertainment. CJ outlined plans to promote large-scale live events such as KCON, support local content investment, and establish global production infrastructure in partnership with regional institutions.

Halal Food Strategy Anchored in UAE and Saudi Arabia

Lee also met with senior executives from CJ CheilJedang to assess halal food expansion strategies tailored to Middle Eastern markets. The company plans to build a robust halal portfolio using the UAE and Saudi Arabia as regional hubs, accelerating the growth of K-food across the region by widening both product offerings and market reach.

“In markets with such strong growth potential, we cannot afford to miss the momentum of the Korean Wave,” Lee said, emphasizing the urgency of developing new growth engines and expanding into untapped territories.

MOUs From Korea-UAE Summit Translate Into Market Action

CJ’s Middle East push builds on recent memoranda of understanding signed during the Korea-UAE summit. CJ CheilJedang partnered with Al Khayyat Investments (AKI), a UAE-based conglomerate active in food, healthcare, and retail, to strengthen local distribution of K-food brands, including Bibigo.

CJ Olive Young also entered a partnership with Life Healthcare Group (LHG), one of the UAE’s leading healthcare distributors, which operates over 500 offline stores and a major online platform. The collaboration is expected to accelerate K-beauty market penetration across the Gulf.

Entertainment, Beauty, Food Form Three Pillars of Expansion

CJ CheilJedang has selected halal-certified Bibigo seaweed snacks and stir-fried noodles as flagship products for the Middle East, working with AKI to secure shelf space in major retail channels. Olive Young plans to leverage its global sourcing capabilities alongside LHG’s distribution network to support promising K-beauty brands.

Meanwhile, CJ ENM aims to scale up its regional operations through its Saudi Arabia-based subsidiary, CJ ENM Middle East. The company is pursuing partnerships with local broadcasters and content firms, with plans spanning live concerts, original productions, and the development of regional star intellectual property.

Cultural Diplomacy Extends to AI and Premium Content

On December 16, Lee hosted UAE Minister of Culture Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Ambassador to Korea Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, and other officials at the CJ Talent Institute in Seoul. Discussions focused on premium content co-production, investment opportunities, artificial intelligence applications in media, and expanding K-beauty exports.

With its latest on-site management initiative, CJ Group is positioning itself to deepen its footprint across the Middle East, leveraging government partnerships and the global appeal of Korean food, beauty, and entertainment to drive long-term growth.

Original Article:

ChosunBiz. (2025). Lee Jay-hyun seeks Middle East expansion through UAE government partnerships. https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-retail/2025/12/17/K7GCHYUVIZBI3D652232OSHZUE/