CJ Group
CJ Corporation, doing business as CJ Group (Korean: CJ그룹) 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. CJ Group was the first manufacturing business of Samsung.
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1955 to 1970
CJ was founded as 'CheilJedang Co., Ltd.' in August 1953 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 and in 1962, started exporting sugar to Okinawa, Japan. In 1965, CheilJedang's sugar business was branded as 'Beksul'. The company entered into the seasoning market in 1963 with Mipoong, competing against Miwon, the then-best-seller by Daesang.
1971 to 1990
In the 1970s, CJ continued its growth as a Food & Food Service company. In 1973 CJ entered into the feed business, launching 'Pungnyeon Feed'. In 1975, CJ developed mass-production techniques for "Dashida", a seasoning product, as well as technology for the mass-production of nucleic acids for the first time in South Korea in 1977, launching first market its first nucleic acid seasoning, "AIMEE". In 1979, the company was renamed 'CheilJedang Corp.' and started producing cooking oil under Beksul. In the 1980s, CJ expanded to processed food items such as beverages and frozen foods, and entered the bio business based on new advanced technologies. In 1984, CJ established Eugene Tech International, a local subsidiary, in New Jersey, U.S. as a joint venture project. In 1986 CJ's Biotechnology & Pharmaceutics division succeeded in becoming the third in the world to develop Alpha-interferon, an anticancer medicine, as well as launching 'Hepaccine-B', a hepatitis vaccine. It entered the frozen food industry and launched its beverage business in 1987. With the establishment of CheilJedang Indonesia in 1988, the construction of a MSG plant in 1990, and a Lysine plant in 1991, CJ started reaching markets outside South Korea.
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. 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. 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. 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), jointly with Korea Expressway in 1997, CJ GLS (currently CJ Logistics) 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.
2017 to Present
After Chairman Lee Jay-Hyun resumed management duties in 2017, 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. In the same year, it acquired Selecta, a Brazil-based producer of concentrated soy protein. 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.
Controversies
Although spun off from Samsung in 1993, CJ is still related to Samsung through family ties. The CEO of Samsung, Lee Kun-hee, is the younger brother of Lee Maeng-hee, the former president of CJ. The family came to the center of the media spotlight when Lee Maeng-hee and sister Lee Sook-hee filed civil suits against Lee Kun-hee, claiming that Lee Kun-hee had illegally acquired his inheritance by concealing parts of their father's, Lee Byeong-chul, assets. As a remedy, they asked for shares of Samsung Life Insurance, which controls Samsung Electronics. Since then, the feud was highly publicized as the brothers were quoted in attacking each other through the media, and intensified after it was found out that a Samsung employee had tailed Lee Jay-hyun,[when?] the chairman of CJ group.
