CJ Group

Overview

CJ Corporation

trade name	CJ Group
former name	Cheil Sugar Co., Ltd. (1953–1979) Cheil Jedang Corporation (1979–2002) CJ Co., Ltd (2002–2007)
type	Public
foundation	August 1, 1953
founder	Lee Byung-chul
location city	12, Sowol-ro 2-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (THE CENTER)
key people	Lee Jay-hyun (chairman) Sohn Kyung Shik (chairman) Miky Lee (vice-chairman)

industry	Conglomerate

area served	Worldwide

subsid	CJ CheilJedang CJ Foodville CJ Freshway CJ CheilJedang's Bio Division CJ Feed & Care CJ Bioscience CJ Logistics CJ OliveYoung CJ ONS CJ ENM CJ CGV TVING

owner	Estate of Lee Jay-hyun (47.07%)‡R1R‡ CJ Group through treasury stock (7.26%)‡R1R‡

homepage	http://www.cj.net/

CJ Corporation, doing business as CJ Group or simply CJ, is a South Korean conglomerate holding company, operating internationally. It is one of the largest chaebol headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous businesses in various industries of Food & Food Service, Bio, Logistics & Retail, Entertainment & Media.[2] CJ Group was the first manufacturing business of Samsung.[3]

CJ comes from 'CheilJedang', which literally translates to "first sugar manufacture", the industry where it originally started.

Notable CJ affiliates include CJ CheilJedang (Food & Food Service), CJ Logistics (Logistics), CJ Olive Young (Health & Beauty Stores), CJ ENM (Entertainment & Media), and CJ CGV (Cinema Chain). The group is chaired by Lee Jay-hyun, the eldest grandson of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul.

History

1955 to 1970

CJ was founded as 'CheilJedang Co., Ltd.' in August 1953[4] as a sugar and flour manufacturer and was originally part of Samsung Group, as its first manufacturing business. In 1958, it opened the first flour mill in South Korea[5] and in 1962, started exporting sugar to Okinawa, Japan. In 1965, CheilJedang's sugar business was branded as 'Beksul'.[6][7] The company entered into the seasoning market in 1963 with Mipoong, competing against Miwon, the then-best-seller by Daesang.[6]

1971 to 1990

Acquisitions

1962 Wonhyeong Industrial CO[7]
1968 Mipung Industrial CO[7]
1971 Dongyang Jedang[7]
1975 Yongin hog farm[7]
1985 Dongryp Industrial Corp
1997 Mnet, Cheil Investment & Securities[7]
2000 39 Shopping[7]

Affiliates

source:[2]

Food & Food Service

CJ CheilJedang Food Business Division
CJ Foodville
Cheiljemyunso (noodle restaurant)
The Steak House (New York style steak restaurant)
TOUS Les JOURS (bakery franchise)[40]
VIPS (premium steak & salad bar)
CJ Freshway

External links

References

주주현황 retrieved 2021-07-21^
Affiliates en.cj.net, retrieved 2025-06-26^
About Us CJ America, retrieved 2025-06-26^

1991 to 2016

In the 1990s, CJ went through periods of conversion and growth as it transitioned into the area of life and culture from focusing on the food and bio industry.[7] However, it continued to develop new food products such as 'Condition', a supplemental drink that alleviates hangover symptoms, in 1992 and 'Hetbahn', an aseptic packaged rice, in 1996.[7] In July 1993, CheilJedang spun off from Samsung and gained independent management, changing into a life and culture group by entering into the food service and entertainment industries. In 1996 it became 'CheilJedang Group' and completed its official separation from Samsung Group in February 1997.[9]

Since then, CJ has entered into the fields of media, entertainment, finance and information & communication businesses mainly through M&As of companies such as Mnet, a music cable channel, and Cheil Investment & Securities in 1997, and establishments of new affiliates such as Cheil Golden Village (currently CGV) in 1996, Dreamline (which was sold off in 2001),[10] jointly with Korea Expressway in 1997, CJ GLS (currently CJ Logistics)[11] in 1998, CJ O Shopping, CJ Europe and CJ FD (standing for food distribution) in 1999. In addition, CJ opened VIPS, a premium steak & salad bar, in 1997, and launched South Korea's first multiplex theater, CGV, in 1998.[7]

In October 2002, CJ Group was launched and the official name of the company changed to 'CJ Co., Ltd'. In September 2007, CJ Co., Ltd again spun off as a business holding company renaming to 'CJ CheilJedang Co., Ltd' and CJ Group became a holding company for a number of food and entertainment-related affiliates based in South Korea. It consists of four main core businesses: Food & Food Service, Bio, Logistics & Retail, Entertainment & Media.[2]

Korean billionaire Lee Jay-Hyun has been chairman of CJ Group since March 2002.[12] His older sister Lee Mi-kyoung is the vice chairman of the company.[13]

In 2010, CJ Media, CJ Entertainment, Mnet media, On-Media and CJ Internet merged to form O Media Holdings, which became CJ E&M in March 2011. Since then, CJ E&M has been a significant player in the development of Korean pop culture and the spread of "Korean Wave", through the creation of successful TV programs such as "Superstar K", "Respond 1997", and films such as "Masquerade" and 2020 Academy Awards winner "Parasite."[9][14]

Since introducing the first multiplex theaters, CGV, in 1998 to South Korea, the company has been developing what it calls "cultureplex", a space where eateries, performance halls, shops and multiplex theaters come together to provide a richer cultural experience to consumers, CGV Cheongdam Cine City, which opened in 2011 being an example.[6]

2017 to Present

After Chairman Lee Jay-Hyun resumed management duties in 2017,[15] CJ Group accelerated its business restructuring and global expansion. In November 2017, CJ CheilJedang consolidated its four business divisions — bio, feed & livestock, food, and materials — into two: bio and food.[16] In the same year, it acquired Selecta, a Brazil-based producer of concentrated soy protein.[11] In 2018, CJ Healthcare was sold to Kolmar Korea. In July of the same year, CJ E&M and CJ O Shopping were merged to form CJ ENM (CJ Entertainment and Merchandising).

In August 2018, CJ CheilJedang acquired Kahiki Foods, an American frozen food company based in Columbus, Ohio, and in 2019, it acquired another American frozen food company, Schwan's. In November 2021, CJ ENM acquired Endeavor Content, the production company behind the film "La La Land," which was rebranded as FIFTH SEASON in 2022.[17]

Global expansion

CJ Group has been described as a key contributor to the global Korean Wave (Hallyu), expanding the reach of K-food, K-content, and K-beauty across major international markets including the US, Japan, Europe, and China.[18]

Food & Food Service

CJ CheilJedang, a core affiliate of CJ Group, has been expanding its global food business under the bibigo brand. In 2019, CJ CheilJedang acquired Schwan’s Company, a major frozen food company in the United States, for about $1.84 billion to expand its North American distribution and manufacturing capabilities.[19] In 2025, CJ announced the completion of a new bibigo dumpling plant in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, to accelerate localization and better serve the growing Japanese market demand.[20] In addition, the company is constructing new production facilities in Hungary by 2026 and in South Dakota, U.S., by 2027, to meet growing global demand for K-food products.[21]

CJ Foodville, another affiliate of CJ Group, has launched bakeries and restaurants globally. Starting with opening a TOUS les JOURS store, a bakery chain, in Los Angeles in 2004, CJ has launched the chain also in China and Vietnam, where double-digit sales growth is maintained.[6] The first TOUS Les JOURS in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, opened in 2007,[22]

Food & Food Service

Bio

In 2012, CJ completed construction of the $400 million nucleic acid factory in Shenyang, China, which was scheduled to begin producing animal feeds such as lysine and threonine and nucleotides in 2013.[9] In 2013, CJ also built a lysine plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa in 2013.[8]

Logistics & Retail

CJ Logistics, South Korea's largest logistics company, has been building a global business foundation to drive its growth as a global logistics company since 2013. Beginning with CJ Smart Cargo in China and further expanding its business areas in 2018 through the acquisitions of Gemadept in Vietnam and DSC Logistics in the United States,[25] CJ Logistics has established a presence in 46 countries and 288 cities as of 2025.[26]

CJ Olive Young, a leading Health & Beauty retailer, has expanded its presence in the global K-beauty market. In 2024, it was reported that out of all foreign visitors to Korea, seven out of ten visited Olive Young stores,[27] highlighting its visibility among foreign visitors. Furthermore, in 2025, South Korea's cosmetics exports ranked second globally after the United States,[28] with Olive Young playing a pivotal role in curating and distributing domestic beauty brands to global consumers.

Entertainment & Media

CJ ENM has played a significant role in the expansion of the Korean Wave (Hallyu), particularly through its K-pop content business.

In 2009, CJ ENM launched the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA AWARDS) with the aim of promoting Asian pop music globally. In 2012, it introduced KCON in Los Angeles,[29] a convention combining K-pop concerts with various Korean cultural experiences. KCON has since expanded to other locations such as Tokyo, Saudi Arabia, and Germany, and as of 2025, the event's cumulative offline attendance surpassed 2 million.[30]

CJ Group

History

1955 to 1970

1971 to 1990

Acquisitions

Affiliates

Food & Food Service

See also

External links

References

1991 to 2016

2017 to Present

Global expansion

Food & Food Service

Food & Food Service

Bio

Logistics & Retail

Entertainment & Media

Global expansion

Food & Food Service

Bio

Logistics & Retail

Entertainment & Media

Food & Food Service

Bio

Logistics & Retail

Entertainment & Media

Controversies

Bio

Logistics & Retail

Entertainment & Media

Other language channels

Other language channels

Infrastructure

Former Affiliates

Bio

Logistics & Retail

Entertainment & Media