CJ to Invest 20 Trillion Won in Core Businesses Over 5 Years... Creating 30,000 Jobs

12 Trillion Won Invested in Content and K-Food
7 Trillion Won in Logistics and Platform Sectors

Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] CJ Group will invest 20 trillion KRW over the next five years in the group's core business sectors, including content, food, and platforms. The goal is to create up to 30,000 jobs through this investment.

On the 30th, CJ officially announced its "Future Lifestyle Investment Plan," which includes these details, and revealed plans to focus investments on the group's "four major growth engines." In November last year, CJ Chairman Lee Jae-hyun identified culture, platforms, wellness (health), and sustainability as the group's future growth keywords.

More than half of the investment amount, 12 trillion KRW, will be allocated to the cultural sector, focusing on spreading food culture centered on content and K-Food. The plan is to secure production capabilities and produce "well-made content" targeting the global market. A group official stated, "CJ has consistently invested in cultural businesses such as films and dramas for over 25 years, leading the cultural industry to reach a world-class level," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our soft power through aggressive investment." Previously, the films "Decision to Leave" and "Broker," which CJ invested in and distributed, won the Best Director and Best Actor awards respectively at this year’s Cannes Film Festival on the 28th. CJ will also expand the development of future-oriented food products and production facilities. Leveraging CJ CheilJedang’s global Korean food brand "Bibigo," the group plans to focus on nurturing six major global strategic products: dumplings, instant rice, chicken, kimchi, Korean-style seasonings, and seaweed.

In the platform sector, including logistics and commerce, a total of 7 trillion KRW will be invested to expand infrastructure. CJ Logistics will invest in infrastructure and system enhancements optimized for e-commerce, and CJ Olive Young plans to advance marketing and services using IT technology. More than 1 trillion KRW will be invested in wellness and sustainability sectors. Key investments include expanding production facilities for eco-friendly biodegradable plastic materials (PHA) that naturally decompose in seawater. Additionally, the group will promote the advancement of bio-pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) facilities and premium natural materials.

CJ expects that if the investments proceed successfully, it will be able to hire more than 5,000 new employees annually by 2026. A group official said, "It will be possible to create between 25,000 and nearly 30,000 new jobs over the next five years."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.