Koo Bon-moo
Koo Bon-moo passed away in 2018, but he will be remembered as the worldwide famous LG Group Chairman, but for friends close to him perhaps his taste for wines too.
His net worth was US$2.2 billion on Forbes Billionaire List 2018.
He had a private wine cellar filled with more than 10,000 bottles, and he had many favorites.
He would invite guests to his personal cellar in Gwanju, Gyeonggi Province to enjoy some of his best bottles.
A source from LG once told the Korean Times, Koo drank Cabernet Sauvignon from Katnook Odyssey, an Australian winery, for meetings between company executives.
His love towards wine led LG into the wine retail business by establishing LG Twin Wine in 2007. By setting up the wine business, he wanted to raise the interests of his employees and executives in wine and sell high-quality wines to them, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
Before its closure in 2012, Twin Wine was importing 3,000 different kinds of wine from 30 brands in 12 countries. Unfortunately, the subsidiary was forced to close under pressure in 2012 from the government as big corporations were discouraged from entering industries traditionally occupied by smaller companies.
