Shinsegae Group announced on the 21st that Chairman Chung Yong-jin, who visited the United States to attend President Trump's inauguration, held consecutive meetings with global political and business figures.

According to Shinsegae, Chairman Chung Yong-jin, who has a special relationship with Trump Jr., visited Washington at the invitation of Trump Jr., accompanied by his wife, Han Ji-hee.

Chung Yong-jin, the chairman of Shinsegae Group (center), visits Washington on the 18th (local time) to attend the inauguration ceremony, meets with Trump Jr. (left), introduces his wife Han Ji-hee (right), and happily takes a photo. /Courtesy of Shinsegae Group

Chairman Chung and his wife attended various events ranging from unofficial private gatherings before the inauguration to the ball on the day of the inauguration, reportedly establishing a broad and deep global network with key figures from the Trump administration and executives from global IT corporations.

Chairman Chung met with David Sacks, appointed the policy head for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency in the Trump administration, as well as with Mark Rubio, the nominee for Secretary of State. David Sacks is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist expected to strongly drive Trump's policies aimed at enhancing the United States' global leadership in AI and cryptocurrency.

At this meeting, Chairman Chung said, "I am very interested in expanding customer experiences by integrating new technologies such as AI into distribution."

Policy head Sacks noted, "The distribution industry is where consumers can feel the advancements in AI most tangibly," adding that "the Trump administration will also strive to ensure that new technologies contribute to the improvement of the quality of life for our citizens."

Chung Yong-jin, the chairman of Shinsegae Group, is having a conversation with David Sachs, who has been appointed as the White House Crypto and Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy director, at the Starlight Ball held on the evening of the 20th (local time). /Courtesy of Shinsegae Group

As soon as he arrived in D.C., Chairman Chung dined with Omid Malek and Christopher Buskirk, who co-founded the venture capital firm 1789 Capital with Trump Jr., engaging in various discussions about common interests. At another private social event, he met with current Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and was invited to a private event co-hosted by global IT companies such as 'X' (formerly Twitter) and 'Uber', following a connection made with Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago last month.

Chairman Chung and his wife were the only Koreans among the attendees. Known as an early adopter and the first Tesla customer in South Korea, Chairman Chung has reportedly shown much interest in tech corporations. At this event, he engaged in in-depth discussions with key attendees, including James Musk, renowned as an innovative corporate investor, and Kevin Stitt.

Chung Yong-jin, the chairman of Shinsegae Group (left), is having a conversation with Michael Klein (center), who was an executive at Citigroup, and Andrew Ferguson (right), who has been nominated as the Chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission of the Trump administration, at a networking event hosted by Vice President JD Vance on the 20th (local time). /Courtesy of Shinsegae Group

On the day of the inauguration, Chairman Chung visited the live broadcast of President Trump's inauguration held at 'Capital One Arena' to congratulate President Trump. Amidst a significant reduction in the scale of the inauguration events and attendees due to the Arctic cold wave, Chairman Chung was invited based on his special relationship with the Trump family.

At the subsequent networking event hosted by Vice President J.D. Vance, he interacted with key figures from the U.S. government and the Republican party, as well as senior officials from the financial sector, building a wide network. Notably, he met with Andrew Ferguson, Chairperson of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which functions similarly to the Fair Trade Commission in South Korea. Chairperson Ferguson is known for his pro-business stance, expected to promote the Trump administration's pro-corporation policies.

Chung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, attended the Starlight Ball, the official ball for President Trump's inauguration, held at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on the evening of the 20th local time. This was a social ball combined with a dinner attended by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, along with Donald Trump Jr. and other key figures. Chairman Chung attended the ball at the invitation of Trump Jr., with whom he has maintained a long-standing relationship. President Trump arrived after midnight.

Chung Yong-jin, the chairman of Shinsegae Group (right), and his wife Han Ji-hee (left) meet with Ms. Akie Abe (center), the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, at the Starlight Ball held on the evening of the 20th (local time). /Courtesy of Shinsegae Group

At the ball, Chairman Chung and his wife had a second meeting with Mrs. Akie Abe, the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's widow, whom they met on their first day in Washington, D.C.

Chairman Chung, meeting with reporters at New York's JFK Airport on the 17th, said, "As I am not a diplomat or an administrator, I am not in a position to discuss national agendas, but I believe it is important that diverse channels are created in the vast market that is the United States as a businessman."

Chairman Chung stated, "The global network I have built over time will help enhance Shinsegae Group's competitiveness in innovation and customer satisfaction, and I will strive to play the role of a businessman pursuing innovation based on sincere communication."