두 명의 이재현, 그들이 그리는 거대한 ‘K-브랜드’의 미래 > K-wave Trends

CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun’s actions truly demonstrate the essence of ‘global field management.’ Recently, he personally visited the first Olive Young store in North America, which opened in Pasadena, California, and took the lead in the field. This is interpreted as a strong expression of K-beauty's will to go beyond simply opening a store and deepen the roots of K-beauty in the United States, the world's largest consumer market. Chairman Lee went beyond simply taking care of business performance in the field and ordered that we establish a bridgehead for domestic small and medium-sized brands to grow into global mega brands. This is a glimpse into CJ's unique ecosystem strategy where large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises coexist and grow together in the global market.

Chairman Jae-Hyun Lee’s North American strategy is not limited to a single business but aims for multifaceted synergy. He visited CJ CheilJedang's Food Americas subsidiary in Minnesota for the first time in seven years and saw for himself the competitiveness of K-Food, which has been strengthened since the acquisition of Schwan's. His plan to unite food, beauty, and content businesses into one ‘lifestyle company’ and infiltrate them into the daily lives of American consumers is very detailed. In particular, building an omni-channel system that combines online and offline and significantly improving local logistics infrastructure to increase delivery efficiency are key strategies for expanding market share in North America. This organic business connection ultimately becomes a powerful driving force that directly translates the curiosity about Korean culture aroused by K-content into actual consumption.

Meanwhile, in the sports world, Lee Jae-hyun is the hope of the Samsung Lions and a passionate heart dreaming of making it to the Asian Games. He recently suffered an unexpected injury, including back pain, but has overcome it and shown a strong will to return, drawing attention both inside and outside the team. In particular, the scene where he proved his skills by hitting a cool solo home run in front of Asian Games national team coach Ji-Hyun Ryu was very impressive. This went beyond simply achieving a record, and was like a ‘demonstration of force’ that combined desperation and confidence to prove one’s worth on a bigger stage as the national team. His determination to play as a pinch hitter or defender even when injured is enough to serve as an example to young players.

The current situation that Samsung Lions player Lee Jae-hyeon is experiencing can be said to be a typical process of ‘growing pains.’ Because a back injury called a bone bruise can be fatal to a player's life, the team is thoroughly managing him and closely checking his physical condition until the 8th. However, even this break is being used as strategic time for him to prepare for better performance. The fact that he is resting and improving his condition alongside veteran players like Choi Hyeong-woo suggests that he is establishing himself as a key resource for the team beyond just a promising player. Fans have no doubt that his return will soon be the start of Samsung's rebound and challenge for gold at the Asian Games.

Chairman Lee Jae-hyun of the business world and Lee Jae-hyun of the sports world are running toward the keyword ‘global’ in their respective fields. The chairman is exporting the Korean lifestyle to the American market through a company called CJ, and the player is trying to prove Korea's potential on the Asian Games stage through the sport of baseball. Both of them focus on the field, move strategically, and show unwavering tenacity even in crisis situations to achieve their goals. The passion of these ‘Jaehyun Lees’ is now becoming a symbolic icon that shows how Korea should compete and win on the world stage. It is an undeniable fact that the trajectory they are charting is providing positive stimulation to our society.