CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun and CJ Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee met with Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company, to discuss the global expansion of K-culture and the future of the entertainment industry.
According to CJ ENM, the three met at KCON LA 2026, which wrapped up in Los Angeles on the 16th local time, and exchanged views on shifts in the global music and content markets, the rise of K-pop and the growth potential of Korean cultural content. The meeting drew attention as a moment where CJ's global business foundation — built over decades of treating the cultural industry as a future growth engine — converged with UMG's network as a leader in the world music market, at the symbolic setting of KCON.
Chairman Lee has focused on the growth potential of the cultural industry since the 1990s, continuing to invest in content businesses spanning film, music and broadcasting. In particular, he has spread K-culture into global markets and built the cultural industry into a core pillar of CJ's growth.
Vice Chairwoman Lee has likewise played a pivotal role in taking CJ's film, music and broadcasting content into overseas markets, drawing on her broad network within the global entertainment industry. She is regarded as a figure who has led collaborations with major global partners as CJ's cultural business expanded beyond Korea into overseas markets.
KCON is a global platform that represents this cultural-industry strategy at CJ. Launched in 2012, KCON has grown beyond a simple music festival into a K-culture celebration, presenting Korean beauty, food and dramas alongside K-pop performances. It has been held in 14 regions worldwide, including Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States, drawing about 2.35 million offline attendees to date.
This year's KCON LA 2026 also expanded its programs beyond K-pop to let attendees experience Korean culture more broadly, including K-beauty, K-food and K-story. Spaces to experience various K-lifestyle content were set up at the Los Angeles Convention Center, while K-pop artists performed at Crypto.com Arena.
Grainge's decision to visit the KCON site in person also drew notice. The fact that the head of UMG, a leader in the global music industry, confirmed the expansion potential of K-pop and the broader Korean cultural industry through KCON is read as a sign that K-culture's standing in the global entertainment industry has risen further.
The partnership between CJ and UMG also drew interest in the wake of the meeting. Earlier, on July 15, Mnet's global girl group debut project "Girls Planet 2027" and REPUBLIC Collective, a UMG unit, announced a partnership to discover and develop the next generation of global K-pop talent. The two sides plan to collaborate across the entire process, from the program's production stage to the final debut group's activities in the United States and globally.
