Everland, Olive Young, E-Mart — Are They All Samsung? The Chaebol Family Behind Your Seoul Trip

You land at Incheon, open the map on your Galaxy phone, buy gifts at duty-free, spend the day at Everland, fill a basket at Olive Young in the evening, do your grocery run at E-Mart, and grab coffee at Starbucks. A normal day in Seoul. Yet these brands, which look completely unrelated, trace back to one small trading shop opened in Daegu in 1938. This is the story of the “many faces of Samsung” a traveler meets.

What did Samsung originally do?

Not electronics — it was a trading and food company. Founder Lee Byung-chul opened Samsung Sanghoe (三星商會) in Daegu in 1938, exporting fruit, vegetables and dried fish to Manchuria and China. “Samsung (三星)” means three stars — big, bright and eternal.

After the Korean War he grew the business through sugar (Cheil Jedang, 1953) and textiles (Cheil Industries, 1954). Samsung Electronics wasn’t founded until much later, in 1969. In other words, the “semiconductor-and-smartphone Samsung” we know today is the later part of a long story. And that early sugar company, Cheil Jedang, would eventually become CJ, while the department-store business became Shinsegae — Samsung’s early ventures peeling off one by one into what we now call the greater Samsung family.

So what exactly is the “greater Samsung family”?

It’s the collective name for the groups founded by the children and descendants of Lee Byung-chul. The main Samsung line passed to his third son Lee Kun-hee (now Lee Jae-yong), while his other children took the businesses they managed and, through the 1990s and 2000s, built independent groups. Because these groups are essentially “cousin companies,” the Korean press bundles them together as the greater Samsung family.

Samsung’s main line — Galaxy, Everland, Shilla Duty Free

The most direct touchpoint is in your hand: the Galaxy (Samsung Electronics) phone. But two of the places travelers spend time in also belong to Samsung’s main line.

Everland & Caribbean Bay — The giant theme park in Yongin and its water park are run by Samsung C&T’s Resort division. The home of the famous panda family “Fu Bao” being a Samsung affiliate is a fact surprisingly few people know.

Hotel Shilla & Shilla Duty Free — The Shilla hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, and the Shilla Duty Free stores you meet at Incheon Airport and downtown, all belong to Samsung Group (Hotel Shilla). The moment you shop duty-free, you’ve already met the greater Samsung family.

📍 Open Everland in Naver Map 📍 Find Shilla Duty Free

CJ — Olive Young, CGV, Tous Les Jours, and Bibigo

The group that grew out of the sugar company Cheil Jedang. Founded by the eldest-son branch (Chairman Lee Jae-hyun), CJ is now a conglomerate in food, entertainment and logistics — and it overlaps a traveler’s route more than almost any other.

• CJ Olive Young — the dominant K-beauty retail chain. This is the very store where you load up on cosmetics.
• CGV — the nationwide multiplex cinema chain. Watch a movie in Korea and it’s very likely CGV.
• Tous Les Jours — the bakery franchise you see on every other corner.
• Bibigo — the dumplings, kimchi and instant rice in the chilled aisle of marts and convenience stores, a CJ CheilJedang brand.
• CJ Logistics — the big courier company you’ll meet when shipping luggage or souvenirs to your hotel.
• TVING — the OTT service where you stream Korean dramas.

So while none of these carry the “Samsung” name, a large share of the cosmetics, cinemas, bakeries and couriers you meet on a trip belong to CJ, which shares its roots with Samsung.

📍 Open Olive Young in Naver Map 📍 Find a CGV cinema

Shinsegae — E-Mart, department stores, duty-free, even Starbucks

The group that grew out of Samsung’s department-store business. Led by the family of fifth daughter Lee Myung-hee (the sibling duo Chung Yong-jin and Chung Yoo-kyung), Shinsegae effectively owns a traveler’s “shopping and café” hours.

• Shinsegae Department Store — premium stores like the Gangnam and Main (Myeongdong) branches; the Myeongdong flagship building is a Seoul landmark in itself.
• E-Mart / No Brand / Emart24 — do a big grocery run and it’s most likely E-Mart, a great place to grab ramen, snacks and seaweed as gifts.
• Shinsegae Duty Free — the downtown duty-free in Myeongdong and Gangnam. Together with Samsung’s Shilla Duty Free, the two split Korea’s duty-free market.
• Starfield — mega-malls like Hanam and COEX, run by Shinsegae Property, big enough to spend a whole day indoors.
• Starbucks Korea — surprisingly, its largest shareholder is Shinsegae (E-Mart holds a 67.5% stake, since 2021). Even your coffee carries the greater Samsung family.
• Josun Hotels & Resorts — hotel brands such as Westin Josun and Josun Palace.

Here’s where travelers often get confused. That day where you hop between Shilla (Samsung) and Shinsegae duty-free counters, do your groceries at E-Mart (Shinsegae), and drink coffee at Starbucks (Shinsegae) is, in fact, a journey between “cousin brands” that all split from one root.

📍 Find Shinsegae Dept. Store 📍 Find Starfield

A “greater Samsung map” of your day

Look at the same day again, sorted by ownership, and the overlaps jump out. This is the heart of the article — the map of one family woven quietly through a traveler’s route, without the “Samsung” name attached.

Ownership is compiled from public sources as of 2026; shareholding structures can change over time.

So how does this actually help my trip?

Knowing the family tree makes a trip feel more three-dimensional — and it comes with a few practical perks.

Loyalty programs sometimes bundle. Shinsegae affiliates (department store, duty-free, Starfield, Starbucks) share points and gift certificates in places, and CJ affiliates (Olive Young, CGV, Tous Les Jours) tie together under a single membership called CJ ONE. Worth knowing if you’re on a long stay or planning big purchases; check current terms and foreigner eligibility in-store or in the app.

Above all, you learn that “Samsung” isn’t just the name of an electronics company but a family story entangled with the whole of modern Korean economic history. From the Galaxy in your hand to the evening Starbucks, these are all branches that grew out of one small shop in 1938 Daegu — and walking Seoul may feel a little different for knowing it.

More questions

Q. Are Kakao, Naver, Hyundai and LG also part of the Samsung family? No. These are entirely separate conglomerates with different founding families. The greater Samsung family refers only to Samsung, CJ, Shinsegae, Hansol and the like — the groups built by founder Lee Byung-chul’s descendants.

Q. What about LG and GS? LG and GS descend from the Koo and Huh families (the so-called “greater LG family”) and are unrelated to Samsung. There is, however, a historical marriage tie: Lee Byung-chul’s second daughter married into the LG founding family, making founders Lee Byung-chul and Koo In-hwoi in-laws — a favorite piece of chaebol trivia.

Q. Do these brands still operate as one company? No. Since the separations, Samsung, CJ, Shinsegae and Hansol are fully independent groups with separate ownership and management — and they even compete (Shilla vs. Shinsegae in duty-free, for one). “Came from one family” describes a historical root, not a shared body today.

Sources

• Overview of the greater Samsung family and spin-offs — Namu Wiki: 범삼성가
• Samsung’s 1938 founding (Samsung Sanghoe) and Lee Byung-chul’s life — Wikipedia (KO): 이병철
• Everland / Caribbean Bay operator — Samsung C&T Resort division
• E-Mart’s 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea (SCK Company) — Invest Chosun (2021)
• CJ Group affiliates — Wikipedia (KO): CJ그룹
• Shinsegae Group affiliates and separation — Wikipedia (KO): 신세계그룹