Chairman Lee stressed, “We must seize the K-wave momentum, secure an early foothold in the Middle East market, and build new growth engines such as halal food”
Starting on December 6, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for about a week, meeting with senior government officials to explore potential business partnerships and assess opportunities for expansion in the Middle East.
Following a series of global engagements this year — including Japan, the United States, and Europe — Chairman Lee’s decision to conclude his itinerary in the Middle East underscores the region’s growing importance as a high-potential market essential for future global growth. Key CJ Group executives, including Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, CJ Corporation CEO Kim Hong-gi, CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun, and CJ Corporation Head of Future Planning Group Lee Sun-ho, accompanied Chairman Lee on this visit.
Lee first met with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and CEO of the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, to discuss opportunities for collaboration across cultural and economic sectors. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, a key figure in driving bilateral cooperation during the Korea–UAE summit earlier this year, previously met Chairman Lee during his visit to the UK in September.
Chairman Lee also held meetings with Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, and Abdulla Al Hamed, Chairman of the UAE National Media Office. Discussions with these leaders, who oversee strategic development across media, content, tourism, and sports, focused on concrete collaboration opportunities and business strategies tailored to the local market. CJ Group plans to pursue large-scale live events such as KCON through multifaceted partnerships with government bodies and local media companies, and will further support content production, investment, and the development of global production infrastructure in the region.
During his visit, Chairman Lee, accompanied by Gregory Yep, CEO of CJ CheilJedang’s Food Business, met with local CJ employees, to engage in in-depth discussions on halal food growth strategies. CJ Group plans to build a halal food portfolio centered on key regional hubs such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and to accelerate the Middle East K-food business through phased expansion across countries and product lines.
At the meeting, Chairman Lee emphasized, “We must not miss the momentum of the Korean Wave in the Middle Eastern market, which holds exceptionally strong potential. This is where we must build our next growth engine. To become a company that leads the lifestyles of consumers around the world, we must channel our urgency for global growth into bold expansion into new territories.”
It has been just over a year since Chairman Lee last visited the Middle East, following his official visit to Saudi Arabia in September last year at the invitation of the Saudi Ministry of Culture. His decision to return to the region reflects a high level of confidence in its growth potential.
CJ Group has already signed MOUs in the food and beauty sectors during last month’s Korea–UAE summit. In food, CJ CheilJedang signed an MOU with Al Khayyat Investments (AKI), a UAE-based conglomerate engaged in food, healthcare, and retail. The partnership is expected to support the distribution of K-Food products such as bibigo in the region. In the beauty sector, CJ Olive Young partnered with Life Healthcare Group (LHG), a leading healthcare distribution company based in the UAE. LHG operates more than 500 offline drugstores and an online mall through its drugstore chain, Life Pharmacy, making it an ideal partner for expanding the local footprint of K-beauty.
Building on this visit, CJ Group plans to accelerate its expansion in the Middle East across all major business sectors, including food, entertainment, and beauty. CJ CheilJedang has selected its halal-certified bibigo Seaweed Snacks and Stir-fried Noodles as strategic products for the region and will work with AKI to broaden distribution across key retail channels. In beauty, Olive Young aims to support the successful market entry and sales growth of promising K-beauty brands, leveraging its strong product sourcing capabilities and LHG’s extensive retail network. CJ ENM will also accelerate its regional foothold, building on CJ ENM Middle East, the first local subsidiary established in Saudi Arabia by a Korean entertainment company. Through partnerships with local broadcasters and content companies, the subsidiary will pursue various opportunities, including live concerts and the development of local star artists.
After returning to Seoul, Chairman Lee met with Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Culture, Abdullah Saif Al Nuaimi, UAE Ambassador to Korea, and other officials from the UAE Ministry of Culture on December 16 at CJ HumanVille in Pil-dong. During the meeting, both sides discussed potential cooperation in premium content production and investment, the application of AI technologies, and collaboration to expand exports of K-beauty products.
A CJ Group representative stated, “This year, Chairman Lee personally visited major global hubs — from Asia and the Americas to Europe and now the Middle East — underscoring the importance of securing future global growth engines. In 2026, we will further accelerate expansion into new markets to become a company that leads lifestyles around the world.”
