CHAGEE

Global fresh milk tea franchise

Government & Public Relations Manager

PR & CommunicationsConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeSeoul, South KoreaNo salary listedIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience in Government Relations, Public Affairs, public relations, or Strategic Communications.
Strong understanding of the Korean regulatory, policy, and media landscape.
Experience managing sensitive issues involving foreign or multinational companies.
Ability to operate discreetly and strategically, exercising sound judgment.
Comfort working in matrixed regional and local environments.
Fluency in Korean and English.
Experience in corporate relations and communications.
Capability in senior executive and key stakeholder engagement.
Deep understanding of political, regulatory, and media landscapes.
Resilience and adaptability in managing complex, high-pressure situations.

Responsibilities

Establish and scale a low-risk, structured Government Relations, public relations, social impact, and crisis management foundation in Korea from market entry through long-term operation.
Lead Korea Government Relations and public relations strategy, aligning government engagement, media relations, General Manager public appearances and interviews, and public narratives with business objectives and appropriate timing and context.
Map and prioritize Korean regulatory and policy stakeholders, including food and beverage authorities, labour and employment regulators, and stakeholders related to foreign business sensitivities.
Conduct regulatory, policy, and sentiment risk scans relevant to market entry and operations.
Develop internal Government Relations holding positions, playbooks, and escalation frameworks.
Advise internal stakeholders on government-facing sensitivities and engagement boundaries.
Manage relationships with local and international business chambers, industry bodies, public entities and organizations, communities, community leaders, key opinion leaders, and regulators.
Engage China-linked business platforms where relevant, with sensitivity and discretion.
Ensure public messaging aligns with regulatory context and government sensitivities.
Coordinate Government Relations and public relations narratives to avoid misalignment, overexposure, or unintended signaling.
Serve as the internal gatekeeper for external-facing narratives involving public authorities.
Develop a media strategy aligned with the market-entry risk profile.
Handle media inquiries related to regulation, policy, or foreign business positioning.
Prepare issue and crisis communication scenarios incorporating Government Relations considerations.
Coordinate with APAC and global teams during sensitive situations.
Shift communications focus over time from risk management to reputation building.
Develop narratives around employment, quality, compliance, and local contribution.
Prioritize credibility-led communications over campaign-driven or symbolic public relations.
Integrate corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and local community engagement into long-term brand and reputation strategy.
Highlight responsible sourcing, environmental impact reduction, and social value creation aligned with local expectations.
Build partnerships with local communities and stakeholders to demonstrate long-term commitment to Korea.
Act as the central alignment point between the Korea General Manager, Marketing, Legal, Operations, and APAC.
Ensure government- or authority-related engagements are internally aligned and approved.
Report regularly on the Government Relations and public relations landscape, risks, and engagement outcomes.
Transition ownership from an APAC-led framework to locally led execution while maintaining strategic alignment.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in the food and beverage and/or retail industries is highly advantageous.

Role Overview

The Korea Government & Public Relations Manager is responsible for establishing and scaling alow-risk, structured GR, PR, Social Impact and Crisis Management foundation in Korea from market entry through long-term operation.

The role adopts a phased, disciplined approach to government and public engagement — prioritizing compliance, discretion, and internal alignment in the early stage, while gradually building credibility, trust, and reputation once local capability is in place.

This role serves as the strategic lead of Korea GR & PR, ensuring that government engagement, media relations, supporting and preparing the General Manager for public appearances or interviews, and public narratives are consistently aligned, well-timed, contextually appropriate, and inline with the business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Government Relations (GR)

Foundation & Risk Control

Map and prioritize Korean regulatory and policy stakeholders, including:
- Food & beverage authorities
- Labour and employment regulators
- Foreign business–related sensitivities
Conduct regulatory, policy, and sentiment risk scans relevant to market entry and operations
Develop internal GR holding positions, playbooks, and escalation frameworks
Advise internal stakeholders on government-facing sensitivities and engagement boundaries

External Platforms & Bilateral Channels

Manage relationships with local and international business chambers and industry bodies, public entities and organizations, communities, community leaders, key opinion leaders, regulators.
Engage China-linked business platforms where relevant, with sensitivity and discretion

Public Relations & Strategic Communications

PR–GR Narrative Alignment

Ensure public messaging aligns with regulatory context and government sensitivities
Coordinate GR and PR narratives to avoid misalignment, overexposure, or unintended signaling
Serve as the internal gatekeeper for external-facing narratives involving public authorities

Media & Issues Management

Develop media strategy aligned with market-entry risk profile
Handle media inquiries related to regulation, policy, or foreign business positioning
Prepare issue and crisis communication scenarios incorporating GR considerations
Coordinate closely with APAC and global teams during sensitive situations

Reputation & Contribution Building

Shift communications focus from risk management to reputation building over time
Develop narratives around employment, quality, compliance, and local contribution
Avoid campaign-driven or symbolic PR in favor of credibility-led communications
Integrate CSR, sustainability, and local community engagement into long-term brand and reputation strategy
Highlight responsible sourcing, environmental impact reduction, and social value creation aligned with local expectations
Build partnerships with local communities and stakeholders to demonstrate genuine, long-term commitment to Korea

Internal Alignment & APAC Collaboration

Act as the central alignment point between Korea GM, Marketing, Legal, Operations, and APAC
Ensure all government- or authority-related engagements are internally aligned and approved
Report regularly on GR/PR landscape, risks, and engagement outcomes
Transition ownership from APAC-led framework to locally led execution with strategic alignment

Preferred Skills

10+ years of experience in Government Relations, Public Affairs, PR, or Strategic Communications
Strong understanding of the Korean regulatory, policy, and media landscape
Experience managing sensitive issues involving foreign or multinational companies
Proven ability to operate discreetly, strategically, and with strong judgment
Comfortable working in matrixed, regional–local environments
Fluent in Korean and English
Experience in F&B and/or retail industries is highly advantageous
Corporate relations and communications experience
Strong capability in senior executive and key stakeholder engagement
Deep understanding of the political, regulatory, and media landscapes
High resilience and adaptability in managing complex and high-pressure situations

About the Company

CHAGEE

Global fresh milk tea franchise

CHAGEE is a global tea brand focused on fresh milk tea in modern teahouses. It uses a franchise model called '1+1+9+N': nine stores are tested directly before inviting unlimited franchisees, and it now operates over 6,400 teahouses worldwide. The core product blends fresh whole-leaf tea with fresh milk, supported by automated machines and a digital operations system to ensure fast, consistent service, along with transparent nutrition information for customers. The company aims to scale its model globally, maintain product quality and nutrition transparency, and become a leading global player in modern tea houses, with a Nasdaq listing under the ticker CHA.

Company size: 51-200
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Irvine, CA
Founded: 2017

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