Ham Yeon-ji. [Sandbox]
Ham Yeon-ji. [Sandbox]

Ham Yeon-ji, 34, a former musical actor and third-generation heir to food giant Ottogi, has in effect left the entertainment industry and is now learning the ropes of business management in the United States.

Ham's personal SNS accounts have gone dark in recent months, and she is gaining hands-on experience in marketing and business operations at Ottogi America, the company's US subsidiary.

Ham is the granddaughter of the late Ottogi founder Ham Tae-ho and the eldest daughter of current Chairman Ham Young-joo.

She previously drew attention as one of the entertainment world's wealthiest shareholders, with her stock holdings valued at around 30 billion won ($21.2 million).

A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Ham made her acting debut in 2014 in the musical "Gone with the Wind," going on to appear in productions including "Amadeus," "Notre-Dame de Paris" and "Chami."

Ham married Kim Jae-woo, who is the same age, in 2017. The two met in high school and dated for about seven years. In 2020, she launched a YouTube channel under her name, sharing glimpses of daily life with her husband and amassing 470,000 subscribers. Chairman Ham Young-joo appeared in several videos, cooking alongside his daughter.

In December 2023, Ham announced she was stepping back from YouTube. "I am thinking deeply about how to promote Korean food in the United States," she said at the time. "I am spending each day in a very meaningful way. I want to go out without a camera, find my true self in everyday life and become a better person."

She joined Ottogi America Holdings, which oversees the company's US operations, in May 2024.

Ham has not pursued any notable entertainment activities since 2024, and her recent move to make her SNS accounts private has fueled speculation that she has effectively ended her career in the industry.

Her husband, Kim Jae-woo, was appointed chief executive of Ottogi America Holdings in September last year, taking charge of the company's North America business, which encompasses both its local sales and production subsidiaries.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com