The Rise Of Miky Lee: Powerhouse Behind South Korea's Entertainment Empire

Did you happen to catch the very end of the Oscars when the diminutive Korean lady got on stage and started talking about how much she loves Parasite director Bong Joon Ho's hair? That wasn't a relative of his; that was Miky Lee, the head of a $4 billion South Korean entertainment empire that is responsible for everything from K-pop sensation BTS to the Oscar-winning film for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best International Film, Parasite. Lee built South Korea's first movie multiplex and is an investor in DreamWorks. She has played a significant role in the success of BTS and is a major player in Los Angeles real estate. In short, Miky Lee is a phenomenon! She is one of the most influential people in South Korean entertainment.

Parasite has been on a record-setting run, being the first film from South Korea to win the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also the first foreign film to win the SAG Awards' ensemble award and the first Oscar nominee from Korea. Additionally, it is the first non-English language film to win the Best Picture Oscar in the 92-year history of the awards ceremony. On top of all of that, Lee runs CJ, her family company, which controls the highest-rated cable network and the largest multiplex chain in South Korea. Lee is a media mogul responsible for television dramas, K-pop concerts around the globe, and movies dominating the box office in Asia.

Lee is the eldest grandchild of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul and a graduate of Harvard University. CJ, the family company, was founded in 1953 as a sugar and flour manufacturing division of Samsung. Over the next four decades, the company expanded into biotech and pharmaceuticals. However, it did not venture into entertainment or media until Lee took the reins. A lifelong cinephile, she studied language and linguistics at top universities in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, becoming fluent in Korean, English, Mandarin, and Japanese. Lee later earned her master’s degree in Asian studies from Harvard, where she realized her passion for introducing Korean culture to Korean American students who had assimilated into Western culture.

In 1987, after her grandfather's passing, the family-controlled conglomerate was divided among his heirs. CJ Group went to her brother, Lee Jay-hyun. Miky, having just graduated from Harvard, joined the Fort Lee, New Jersey office of Samsung, where she worked in the new business division. By late 1994, she learned that David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Jeffrey Katzenberg were seeking investors to launch their fledgling film studio. After meeting with them, she was convinced and provided a $300 million investment, securing distribution rights for DreamWorks films across Asia (excluding Japan). This investment proved extremely lucrative for Lee.

With a vision for Korean culture, Lee realized CJ needed to transform itself to enter the media business. In the mid-90s, Korea lacked multiplexes; there were only small video stores. Lee and her brother invested in cinema construction, aiming to grow the local film market and attract Hollywood's attention. CJ opened its first multiplex in Korea in 1998, which has since become the largest chain, capturing about 50% of the market. Over the years, this initiative helped turn Korea into the fifth-biggest box office territory worldwide.

From CJ's inaugural movie theater, the company established a fund to support Korean filmmakers, which contributed to the rise of talents like Bong Joon Ho. Additionally, Lee aimed to make K-pop a globally popular genre, conceptualizing KCON, a K-pop convention inspired by a UFC event she attended. BTS played its second-ever U.S. show at 2014's KCON, which has attracted over a million attendees across six countries. Lee has effectively turned Korea's entertainment industry into a global cultural powerhouse, aspiring to further expand CJ's worldwide influence.

At 61, Lee is divorced and has no children, residing in Orange County, California, with a sprawling compound in Beverly Hills. Around the same time she invested in DreamWorks, she began constructing this vast estate, named Futureland, modeled after South Korea's largest theme park, Everland. This more than eight-acre property features two Mediterranean-style mansions, infinity-edged swimming pools, and a rooftop tennis court. Security includes off-duty LAPD officers, ample parking for over 100 cars, golf putting greens, and breathtaking views of the San Fernando Valley and the Pacific Ocean.

Miky Lee holds dual American and South Korean citizenship. Her Oscar moment was a dream come true for this lifelong cinephile. With Parasite's Best Picture win, this dynamo is sure to remain in the spotlight along with her influential company.