Who is Heo Seo-hong? GS Retail CEO visits BTS' Jin’s IGIN pop-up store on grand opening day to encourage employees

On December 20, BTS' Jin’s liquor brand, IGIN, opened its pop-up store’s doors for the customers to celebrate their grand opening. Alongside customers, Heo Seo-hong also made a visit to the IGIN pop-up store on the first day of its launch to encourage his employees.

For the unversed, Heo Seo-hong, the fourth-generation heir of GS Group, is poised to assume the role of CEO of GS Retail in the upcoming year. GS Group, which sells BTS' Jin's liquor, is reportedly transferring complete authority to the fourth generation. Ten days before assuming office, CEO Heo came to IGIN to motivate the executives and staff.

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More about the GS Retail CEO Heo Seo-hong

Heo Seo-hong is the newly appointed CEO of GS Retail, scheduled to assume office at the commencement of 2025. Heo Seo-hong's great-grandfather is Heo Man-jung, a co-founder of the LG Group. His grandpa is Heo Jung-gu, the distinguished chairman of Samsung. His father is Heo Yoon-hong, the chairman of GS Construction.

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, Heo Seo-hong previously served as the head of the GS Energy Power and Group Energy Division and the head of the Management Support Division, and then as the head of the GS Future Business Team.

The fourth generation of chaebols has commenced their operations, and Seo-hong’s initial work was BTS' Jin's liquor brand IGIN’s pop-up store. He recently disclosed his company approach to executives and employees, stating:

"I will consider sustainable growth in the rapidly changing distribution competition environment."

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BTS' Jin and Baek Jong-won’s liquor brand IGIN’s opening ceremony started on December 20

BTS' Jin started his latest liquor business endeavor, IGIN, with Culinary Class Wars Season 1 judge Baek Jong-won. Their label offered both traditional distilled Korean liquor, along with ready-to-drink flavored drinks.

The instant drinks included "IGIN Sweet Tonic" and "IGIN Tangy Tonic," incorporated with flavors of apples, plums, and watermelons.

The brand started pre-orders on December 16, 2024. Following this, the grand opening began on December 20, and it will continue until December 24 at Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The opening event attracted huge crowds on the first day of the pop-up store opening.

The IGIN pop-up store thrived despite the frigid temperatures. Despite the chilly weather, hundreds of people queued on the pop-up's first day. The pre-booking for the pop-up store concluded prematurely after three hours, followed by a lengthy queue that formed at the location on the inaugural day.

The pop-up store was conceived as a venue for visitors to engage with brands beyond mere sales. Visitors were found sampling IGIN in the tasting area and leaving messages for BTS' Jin in the doodling area. Extensive lines for purchasing merchandise, including alcoholic beverages, were also present in the goods zone.

As stated by Naver, the GS Retail representative commented on IGIN’s pop-store reservations and estimated the number of customers during the opening ceremony.

“The IGIN pop-up store reservations were fully booked in advance and as soon as we started accepting on-site bookings, about 100 people joined the waiting list. We expect around 5,500 visitors before the pop-up ends,” the representative said.

Previously, on December 16, the GS25 retail app's server crashed due to a high volume of pre-orders for IGIN. According to reports, the inventory sold out within hours of the pre-order window starting.