CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun presents the trophy to Brook Koepka who won the CJ Cup 2018 in Jeju on Oct. 21.

CJ Group is trying to make inroads into global markets by making the most of the CJ Cup, Korea’s first PGA tour event, which it is sponsoring.

CJ Cheiljedang said its Korean cuisine brand Bibigo will participate in the CJ Cup as the main sponsor of the upcoming PGA golf championship.

The CJ Cup, to be held from Oct. 18 to Oct. 21 at the Club at Nine Bridges, Jeju, will be the sole PGA tour event in Korea. CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun was quoted as saying that CJ did a good job in a first step last year, but he wanted to make it an event in which more global consumers can be attracted this time around.

CJ plans to focus on seizing up the CJ Cup as an opportunity to publicize the brand Bibigo. At a meeting with reporters at the CJ Cheiljedang Center in Seoul on Sept. 18, Senior Executive Vice President Kyung Wook-ho of the Marketing Office at CJ Group said the CJ Cup attracted about 35,000 galleries at the four-day inaugural championship.

Broadcasts the event live to about 1 billion households in 227 countries was assessed to have an effective media exposure worth 166.8 billion won. The CJ Cup will take place for 10 years until 2026. Total financial prizes of the CJ Cup 2018 will increase by $250,000 to $9.5 million (10.6 billion won).

Senior Executive Vice President Kyung unveiled a plan to foster the CJ Cup as a cultural platform to publicize Korean culture abroad. He stressed that the CJ Cup will not only serve as a global sport event to make Korea known abroad, but also a momentum to elevate CJ as a super global company. CJ Group plans to take advantage of the CJ Cup to develop Bibigo as a global food brand.

Bibigo has 100 food product portfolios in six categories, including mandu (dumpling) and kimchi. About 250 players and dignitaries were given the chance to experience Korean food tastes during the CJ Cup 2017. Booths were set up to help galleries taste Korean cuisine.

Such Korean foods as Bibigo mandu and abalone kimbap are to be served at seven places of the golf country club under the name “Bibigo Tasty Road.”

Korean food using materials from Jeju will be released. They will include ‘Bibi Ball,” shaped like a golf ball and “Bibi Cone,” made with bulgogi bokgeumbap. A Korean dinner course with Bibigo concept will be offered at the Gala Dinner, to be held prior to the championship.

CJ Cheiljedang sponsors “Bibigo Chef Go,” an event in which a Koran chef would throw a K-food party worth $50,000 any place in the world to hole-in-one players at the 13th course.

CJ Cheiljedang is to launch an ad drive to make a pitch for Bibigo mandu in time for the opening of the CJ Cup 2018. An ad in which Korean American Hollywood actor Lee Ki-hong will appear will be placed not only via TV but also at theaters and on-line channels.

A CJ pop-up store will be set up at West Field Century City Shopping Center in Los Angeles from Oct. 19 through Oct. 28 to showcase K-lifestyle experiences, to be offered by Bibigo, Olive Young and other brands.

CJ Group Chairman Lee made a first-hand inspection to the Club at Nine Bridges twice recently. Stressing “back to basics,” Lee said thorough preparations need to be made so that excellent players can show better performances and galleries can enjoy the championship.

He also delivered the message Korea and Korean culture would be known better around the world.

CJ Cheiljedang operates the Bibigo booth at the Nine Bridges, the venue of the CJ Cup 2018, to globalize Korean food. (Photos: CJ Group)