YouTube Sudden Halt: 'Ottogi 3rd Generation' Ham Yeonji Spotted at US Food Expo

Ottogi "Participated Personally"

‘Ottogi 3rd generation’ Ham Yeon-ji (31) suddenly stopped her YouTube channel, which she had been running for four years, and was recently spotted at the largest food expo in the United States, drawing attention. While some speculated that her management training might have officially begun, Ottogi clarified, saying, "She was there for personal reasons," drawing a clear line.

Ham Yeon-ji and her family leaving their final farewell [Image source=Ham Yeon-ji YouTube capture]

According to industry sources, Ham attended the 'Winter Fancy Food Show (WFFS) 2024' held in Las Vegas, USA, on the 21st (local time), where she toured the booth of Ottogi’s US subsidiary, Ottogi America (OA). WFFS is a B2B trade exhibition specializing in specialty food and beverage companies from the US and around the world, and OA also set up a booth there.

It is known that Ham toured the OA booth at the event venue, but no other schedules were disclosed. Ottogi confirmed that Ham visited the site but stated that it was not an official schedule related to the US subsidiary, so the specific details of her visit are unknown. They also emphasized that she participated out of personal interest, denying rumors about management training or involvement in management raised by some.

Earlier, on December 22 last year, Ham announced the suspension of her YouTube activities by uploading a video titled "Thank you all this time" on her channel ‘Ham Yeon-ji.’ She had operated the channel for four years, amassing over 460,000 subscribers. Even after moving to the US in September last year to join her husband, she continued to upload content and share her daily life.

In the video, Ham said, "I am deeply considering how to effectively promote Korean food in the US market." She added, "I enjoy working, and this routine lifestyle suits me very well, so I am spending very meaningful days," and explained the reason for stopping the channel as, "I have shared and communicated my daily life with you all for the past four years, but now I want to take some time to listen to the voice of my heart."

Some speculated that Ham might be stepping into a frontline management role. Although she currently holds no official title within Ottogi, she has consistently promoted Ottogi and shown interest in food and beverages through her channel. She is also a shareholder with a 1.07% stake in Ottogi.

Ham Yeon-ji is the great-granddaughter of the late Ham Tae-ho, the founder of Ottogi, and the eldest daughter among the one son and one daughter of Chairman Ham Young-jun. She majored in acting at New York University and worked as a musical actress in Korea. Ham’s husband, Kim Jae-woo, is the son of former LG Electronics Vice President Kim Kyung-ho and currently works as a manager at Ottogi America. In November last year, Ottogi appointed Kim Kyung-ho, Ham’s father-in-law and former LG Electronics Vice President, as the head of the Global Business Division (Vice President).

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