"Try It Once"... Why Jeong Yong-jin Recommended 'KFC' Instead of 'No Brand Burger'?

Jung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, has sparked attention by posting on social networking services (SNS) recommending people try KFC products, a competing chicken and burger brand. Shinsegae Food, one of Shinsegae Group's affiliates, operates No Brand Burger.

Recently, Vice Chairman Jung uploaded photos of KFC chicken, coleslaw, and corn salad on his Instagram, writing, "Hyung, I'm eating KFC for dinner." 'Hyung' is a term Jung uses to introduce himself to netizens in a friendly manner. He continued, "My junior is the boss here (KFC), and since this friend came, a lot has changed," and recommended, "You guys should try it too."

[Image source=Screenshot from Chung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group's Instagram]

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The first photo posted by Vice Chairman Jung briefly shows a young girl presumed to be his third child. This suggests that Jung dined out here with his family. The person Jung referred to as his junior is Shin Ho-sang, CEO of KFC Korea. In the past, CEO Shin worked as a digital marketing manager at Emart24, a convenience store affiliate of Shinsegae Group.

Born in 1978, CEO Shin graduated from Daewon Foreign Language High School in Seoul and majored in accounting at the University of Illinois in the United States. While serving as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Burger King Korea in 2017, he launched the 'Monster Whopper' in 2018 and moved to Emart24 in 2021. CEO Shin was appointed CEO of KFC in May last year.

CEO Shin personally commented on Vice Chairman Jung's post to express his gratitude. He said, "Hyung-nim, thank you sincerely. Loyalty!" and declared, "I will definitely make KFC tastier and cooler!" He added, along with a hashtag (#), "Yongjin hyung is Yongjin hyung."

Additionally, CEO Shin posted separately on his Instagram, writing, "Wow! This really happened! Yesterday, Yongjin hyung-nim (Vice Chairman Jung) posted about KFC, and delivery sales skyrocketed," and added, "Thank you so much, hyung-nim!"

Vice Chairman Jung is an influencer with 830,000 Instagram followers. This is not the first time that the prominent 'business celebrity' Jung has promoted a competitor.

In June last year, he posted a photo of Nongshim's limited edition product 'White Jjapagetti' with the caption, "It's art when you add a piece of meat and eat it," and in 2011, when 'Shin Ramyun Black' was released, he left a review saying, "It tastes like beef bone broth, so the soup tastes good." Additionally, in September last year, he praised Harim's 'The Meatsick Unijajangmyeon' product with the comment, "Don't ask questions, just try it once. It's art," and he has also mentioned Nongshim's 'Meoktaekang' and Pulmuone's 'Tofu Noodles' in his posts.

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