'Chairperson is entering' moment sparks frenzy as chaebol heir Annie debuts in idol group

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'Chairperson is entering' moment sparks frenzy as chaebol heir Annie debuts in idol group

Published: 03 Jul. 2025, 16:30 Updated: 04 Jul. 2025, 10:47

PARK EUN-JEE
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Family tree of Annie from Allday Project

“The chairperson is entering now” is one of the most cliché lines in Korean dramas about chaebol, a large, family-owned conglomerate, usually delivered by a secretary or aide to signal authority or draw attention.

When that exact line was accidentally heard behind Annie, a member of the rookie mixed-gender quintet Allday Project, during one of her livestreams, it reminded viewers that the 23-year-old is an heiress of Shinsegae Group, Korea’s second-largest retail conglomerate.

Her debut as a K-pop idol has drawn intense interest from both K-pop fans and the general public, as it is extremely rare for a chaebol heir to pursue such a path.

The livestream shorts on YouTube have garnered over 10 million views, with other videos from her and her group hitting tens of millions of views within less than two weeks of being uploaded.

Allday Project took first place on Mnet’s M Countdown on July 3 with their debut track “Famous,” beating out aespa.

Isn’t it just another nepo baby? Why all the hullabaloo?

The career paths of the sons and daughters of the chaebol family often captivate nationwide interest given the outsize influence these conglomerates have on nearly every aspect of daily life.

Annie, whose Korean name is Moon Seo-yoon, is the first among chaebol family members to pursue a career in entertainment — a departure from the tradition of inheriting management roles.

Although Koreans’ relations with big companies — such as Samsung Electronics, LG Corp. and Hyundai Motor Group — remain complex due to the mixed legacy of both their positive and negative impacts on the country's growth and history, the concealed private lives of chaebol family members have long sparked public curiosity.

This is partly the reason why so many dramas and films revolved around them.

Therefore, Annie’s story of persuading her mother, Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yu-kyung, came off as a real-life scene from a chaebol drama for many Koreans, dominating headlines.

So, is it fair to say that the popularity of Allday Project mainly stems from people’s interest for Annie?

Her background certainly helped spark early interest in the group, but the positive feedback appears to boil down to its solid performance and freshness as a mixed-gender group. Before the debut, the majority of comments were skeptical and doubtful about taking advantage of family privilege.

Coed group Allday Project [THE BLACK LABEL]

“She says she was desperate, but getting in as a trainee was probably way easier for her. She likely didn’t face the same restrictions other trainees do, and debuting was probably smoother, too. Even if things didn’t work out, she wouldn’t be stressing about working part-time jobs or wondering how to make a living,” a comment read in a video introducing each member on the official YouTube channel of The Black Label, Allday Project's label.

But following her appearance on music and live shows over the past weeks, people switched up in the comments, making memes using words like "chairperson" and "chaebol."

“When someone’s really talented, everything else just fades away. You just see the charm of the artist, nothing more,” one comment for a short of her rapping read.

How big is Shinsegae?

Shinsegae Group stands as Korea’s second-largest retailer after Lotte and consists of two ventures: department stores, controlled by Chung Yu-kyung, and the supermarket chain Emart, with her older brother Chung Yong-jin at the helm. The younger Chung also oversees Shinsegae Duty Free and Shinsegae International, a beauty and fashion arm that imports the brands Giorgio Armani, Moncler, and Acne Studios.

Allday Project debuted on June 23. [THE BLACK LABEL]

Combined, the group ranks 11th among all Korean conglomerates in terms of total assets.

The chairman’s grandfather is Lee Byung-chull, founder of Samsung, the country’s largest conglomerate. Shinsegae’s department store business was affiliated with Samsung until 1997, after Lee Myung-hee, the fifth daughter of Lee Byung-chull, spun off from the group in 1991. Since there are no direct shareholding ties between Samsung and Shinsegae, it would be incorrect to label Annie a Samsung heiress, a mistake that has been made some K-pop industry news sites.

Does her idol debut mean she’s stepping away from taking on a management role at Shinsegae?

That’s how it looks for now — but no one knows what the future holds. Other chaebol heirs of her age or generation tend to pursue MBAs abroad or land jobs at major consulting firms before moving to their respective conglomerates if they are to inherit the role.

Still, it is too early to determine her stance on succession or conclude that she is not interested in business management altogether. She is currently enrolled at Columbia University, majoring in art history, but is taking time off, according to multiple local media reports. Last year, local media agency Newsis reported that Annie is considering launching her own fashion and beauty brand.

For now, though, her focus is on her music, taking the storied family into new territory — K-pop.

〈i〉Update〈/i〉, July 4: Added the result of a music show.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [[email protected]]