JeongYookGak
3 known investors
South Korean startup that produces and sells fresh meat, dairy, eggs and groceries directly to consumers online.
Also known as Jeongyookgak CO.,LTD. · Jeongyookgak Inc. · 정육각
Investors · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026JeongYookGak (Jeongyookgak Inc., also referenced as Jeongyookgak CO.,LTD.) is a South Korean company that produces and sells fresh meat and delivers fresh meats and groceries to consumers online. Its product range has been described as including milk, eggs, poultry and pork, supplied to customers within three days of slaughter. The company is headquartered in Gimpo-si, South Korea, and was founded in 2016.
The business positions itself around freshness in a Korean livestock market characterized by extreme pork price volatility, which has led suppliers to hold inventory and thereby reduce product quality. The cofounders built an automated factory system intended to lower production costs so the company could operate profitably while maintaining short times between slaughter and delivery. Cofounders are listed as Hwanmin Gim, Jaeyeon Kim, Sohae Lee and Joontae Park, who were recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for industry, manufacturing and energy in 2019.
In 2022, Jeongyookgak expanded by acquiring a 49.1% stake in organic food retailer Chorokmaeul Co. Ltd. from Daesang Holdings for KRW 44.4 billion, completing the deal in April 2022. In 2025 the company was reported among Korean platform startups that sought court protection during a broader downturn in venture funding, and press coverage that year also reported the organic food chain Chorocmaeul being put up for sale amid liquidity problems.
Founding story
The cofounders responded to conditions in the South Korean agriculture and livestock sector, where extreme pork price volatility encouraged suppliers to hoard supply at the expense of product quality, by developing an automated factory system that reduced production costs and enabled the company to sell products guaranteed fresh while remaining profitable.
Business model
The company produces fresh livestock and dairy products and sells them directly to consumers through an online channel with delivery, using its own automated production facilities to control costs and shorten the interval between processing and delivery.
Traction
The company was described as gaining public popularity in South Korea for delivering milk, eggs, poultry and pork within three days of slaughter, and its cofounders were recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list. Its 2022 acquisition target Chorokmaeul reported sales of KRW 193 billion.
Latest developments
In 2025, Jeongyookgak was reported among South Korean startups that sought court protection as funding conditions tightened, alongside court receivership proceedings at luxury e-commerce platform Balaan and metaverse company Culiverse. Separately, mid-2025 press reported that organic food chain Chorocmaeul was up for sale amid liquidity problems.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
The company operates in South Korea's fresh food and online grocery delivery market, competing on freshness and short slaughter-to-delivery times, and gained public popularity in a domestic agriculture sector described as struggling. Following its 2022 purchase of a 49.1% stake in Chorokmaeul, it also held a controlling interest in an organic food retail chain with reported annual sales of KRW 193 billion.
Technology
The company developed an automated factory system for processing its livestock products, aimed at reducing production costs while supporting delivery of products within three days of slaughter.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer online sales and delivery of fresh meat and groceries, supplemented by the 2022 acquisition of a majority-adjacent stake in the organic food retail chain Chorokmaeul.
Consumers in South Korea buying fresh meat, dairy, eggs and groceries online for home delivery.
Geography
Headquartered in Gimpo-si, South Korea, with operations focused on the South Korean market.
History
Founded in 2016 in South Korea by Hwanmin Gim, Jaeyeon Kim, Sohae Lee and Joontae Park, the company built an automated production system for fresh meat and related goods and gained public attention for delivering products within three days of slaughter, with its cofounders named to a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. In 2022 it acquired a 49.1% stake in Chorokmaeul Co. Ltd. from Daesang Holdings for KRW 44.4 billion. By 2025 it was reported to have sought court protection in South Korea, and Chorocmaeul was reported to be up for sale amid liquidity difficulties.
Risks & controversies
The company was reported in 2025 to have sought court protection in South Korea, in coverage that grouped it with platform startups that relied heavily on external funding for growth with limited profitability during a period of rising interest rates and scarce exits. Chorokmaeul, in which Jeongyookgak acquired a 49.1% stake, was reported at the time of the deal to have negative net income of KRW -4 billion and total debt of KRW 41 billion, and was later reported to be up for sale amid liquidity woes.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsPress mention headline reported that organic food chain Chorocmaeul was up for sale amid liquidity woes.
Press coverage of Korea's wave of startup insolvencies reported that fresh food delivery app Jeongyookgak Inc. sought court protection, following court receivership at luxury e-commerce platform Balaan and alongside metaverse builder Culiverse.
Jeongyookgak CO.,LTD. agreed on March 2, 2022 to acquire a 49.1% stake (1.44 million shares) in organic food retailer Chorokmaeul Co. Ltd. from Daesang Holdings Co., Ltd. for KRW 44.4 billion, having been selected as preferred bidder; the transaction completed on April 29, 2022, leaving Daesang Holdings with no remaining stake. Chorokmaeul was reported with sales of KRW 193 billion, total assets of KRW 75 billion, net income of KRW -4 billion, total equity of KRW 34 billion and total debt of KRW 41 billion. Citigroup Global Markets Korea Securities acted as financial advisor to Daesang.
JeongYookGak's cofounders were profiled on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia - Industry, Manufacturing & Energy 2019 list.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Invest In jeongyookgak Stock | Buy Pre-IPO Shares | EquityZenequityzen.com · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does JeongYookGak do?
- South Korean startup that produces and sells fresh meat, dairy, eggs and groceries directly to consumers online.
- Who are JeongYookGak's investors?
- JeongYookGak's investors include Atinum Investment Co. Ltd., Premier Partners, Z Venture Capital.