A Korean woman with long styled brown hair sits in front of a light blond wood door with traditional Korean firmaments in the window. She holds Hwayo soju bottles in her hand (resting on the out of view bench she sits on) and in her lap.

Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald

Alum Cho Hee-kyung Leads Hwayo Soju’s Global Expansion

By Sophia Salganicoff

As featured in The Korea Herald, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alum Cho Hee-kyung (BFA 2003) is guiding premium soju maker Hwayo Group into its next decade as president. A second-generation leader, she recently reorganized the ceramics-rooted Kwangjuyo Group into Hwayo Group, aligning its spirits, traditional craft legacy, and fine dining arm under one structure. Hwayo now exports to 29 countries, with plans for new global and ultra-premium releases. A cross-disciplinary SAIC graduate focusing on hand-crafted design, Cho credits the School with teaching her to think and question, a mindset she applies to product development and global strategy.

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Credit: Yazan Alali, Image courtesy of Chicago Reader