Secret World of South Korea’s Corporate Elite: VIP Restaurants Revealed

Amidst the recent frequent visits of major foreign dignitaries, it’s been revealed that there’s a team within major South Korean corporations, such as SK Group, LG Group, LS Group, and Samsung Group, that springs into action whenever these VIPs visit, much like a protocol team. The team in question operates what’s known as a private club.

The Seocho Corporate Club at Samsung Electronics’ Seocho building in Seoul is a restaurant that frequently receives VIP visits. Located on the fifth floor of the Samsung office building, the Corporate Club meticulously curates information, including VIPs’ likes and dislikes, to create the best menu with the top chefs. It’s known to change the types of food and drinks served according to the nature of the meeting.

The Corporate Club inside the Samsung building is exclusive to VIPs. Only executives at the level of vice president or higher from Samsung affiliates are permitted to use it, and they must make a reservation.

Hotel Shilla, a Samsung affiliate, manages this VIP restaurant, which is also used for confidential negotiations with clients. Anti-eavesdropping measures are sometimes activated for this purpose.

To get to the Corporate Club, you take the elevator located furthest inside the main lobby of the Seocho building, escorted by an executive at the level of vice president or above. Once you exit the elevator, an employee in a dark blue suit guides you. The Corporate Club has eight rooms that can accommodate more than 10 people each, and near the elevator, there’s a wine bar stocked with hundreds of bottles of wine and a sommelier providing meals accompanied by wine. The restaurant offers a variety of food options, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine, and personalized orders are also available.

The club’s interior is made of marble and wood, and modern paintings hung in the powder room create a cozy atmosphere. According to a Samsung Electronics official, it was designed so that CEOs of global companies can have business meetings over meals in a comfortable atmosphere without exposure to the outside.

In addition to the Corporate Club, the Samsung Seocho building also houses a Samsung VIP Club on the 42nd floor, where Samsung’s top executives can dine. The late Chairman Lee Kun Hee was known to have lunch with executives every Tuesday and Thursday when he came to work at the Samsung Seocho office building.

SK Group also operates a VIP restaurant on the 35th floor of its Seorin-dong office building, managed by the Walkerhill Hotel. The private space is used by the group’s chairman, Chey Tae Won, and Gu Ja Young, the president of SK Innovation, among others, when they meet with major clients. The rooms in this space are named after precious gems, such as the Diamond Room and the Ruby Room.

LS Group’s VIP restaurant was built on the second floor of its office building in An-yang, Gyeonggi Province, considering the routes of its clients. Our home caters to the restaurant, and clients can place separate orders according to their preferences.

LG Group did not have a VIP restaurant in its building for some time, but since 2023, it has been operating a VIP-exclusive restaurant named Smiles on the third floor of the Twin Tower. Smiles imply an invitation to a pleasant meal and conversation, and it’s confirmed that only executives at the director level or above can make reservations.