“Celebrating the Dior CEO’s honorary degree”... Retail chiefs including Shin Dong-bin and Lee Boo-jin gather

[Financial News] Major executives in the retail industry, including Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin, attended the honorary doctorate ceremony for Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior. The longstanding ties between global luxury brands and South Korea’s retail industry are once again drawing attention with the attendance of business group chiefs.
According to industry sources on the 12th, Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group; his eldest son, Shin Yoo-yeol, co-CEO of Lotte Biologics and head of the Future Growth Office at Lotte Corporation; and Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin attended the honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree ceremony for CEO Arnault, held that morning at Kim Young-ui Hall in the music building at Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun District, Seoul.
Euisun Chung, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and his wife, Jeong Ji-seon, as well as Hyun Jeong-eun, chairwoman of Hyundai Group, also attended. They applauded as CEO Arnault received her degree from Ewha Womans University President Lee Hyang-sook and listened attentively to her acceptance speech.
The longstanding relationship between Lee Boo-jin and CEO Arnault drew particular attention. Lee is said to have known CEO Arnault for about 30 years. The Shilla Hotel was also where Louis Vuitton opened its first store in Korea.
Lee, who attended the event wearing Dior clothing and carrying a Dior bag, smiled broadly and applauded when CEO Arnault greeted the audience with “Bonjour, hello” before her speech. The two also met privately after the ceremony and posed for a commemorative photo making hand-heart gestures.
Meanwhile, Ewha Womans University decided to confer the degree in recognition of CEO Arnault’s business acumen and leadership in driving the global fashion industry, as well as her contributions to nurturing the next generation of talent. The university also judged that these qualities aligned with its educational vision of fostering the development of female talent.


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