Shinsegae DF Appoints Veteran Executive Lee Seokgu as New CEO

2026 Regular Executive Appointments at Shinsegae Group
Moves from Shinsegae Live Shopping to New Role
Expected to Address Challenges Such as Sluggish Market and Declining Performance

Lee Seokgu, CEO of Shinsegae Live Shopping, was appointed as the new CEO of Shinsegae DF (duty-free business) on September 26.

Lee Seokgu, CEO of Shinsegae DF. Provided by Shinsegae Group

Born in 1949, Lee graduated from Dongsung High School and earned a degree in Business Administration from Yonsei University.

He joined Samsung C&T Corporation in 1975, where he served as Manager of the Hong Kong branch and Director of the Management Administration Office. Later, in 1999 and 2001, he held positions as Executive Director of the Support Headquarters for the Shinsegae Department Store division and Vice President of the Support Headquarters for the Emart division, respectively.

In 2002, he became CEO of Chosun Hotel, and in 2007, he moved to Starbucks Coffee Korea, where he served as CEO until 2019. In 2020, he was appointed CEO of the JaJu Business Division at Shinsegae International, and in 2022, he led the Shinsegae New Growth Promotion Committee. The following year, he became CEO of Shinsegae Live Shopping.

Industry attention is focused on whether Lee, known as Shinsegae Group's "problem solver," can lead a turnaround in Shinsegae's duty-free business, which has seen declining performance due to sluggish market conditions. The company stated, "We have appointed veteran executive Lee Seokgu as CEO of Shinsegae DF to address various pending issues and to find a breakthrough for the duty-free business."

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