Donald Trump Jr., the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, arrived in South Korea on the 29th. Invited by Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, Trump Jr. is scheduled to meet with the heads of major corporations in South Korea over a two-day, one-night itinerary.
According to the business community, Trump Jr. entered the country at around 6:30 p.m. through the Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center located in Gangseo District, Seoul via a private jet. Wearing a black hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and carrying a backpack, Trump Jr. completed a simple check-in process immediately after arriving and left the airport in a prepared vehicle. Although reporters were waiting at the main gate, there was no interaction.
Following that, Trump Jr. moved directly to the home of Chairman Chung to have dinner with him and his wife.
This visit to South Korea was made possible by the invitation of Chairman Chung, with whom he has a close relationship. The business community noted that there have been requests from the South Korean business sector since the beginning of the year for Trump Jr. to act as a bridge with the Trump administration.
Trump Jr.'s visit to South Korea comes eight months after he attended a political conference called 'Build Up Korea 2024' organized by a conservative youth group last August. This is his first visit since President Trump took office in January.
On the 30th, Trump Jr. will hold relay meetings with leaders of major corporations at a hotel in downtown Seoul. It is rumored that heads of corporations focused on sectors such as semiconductors, automobiles, energy, electronics, steel, and defense, which have significant business interests in the United States, have shown interest in meeting with Trump Jr. The total number of people expected to meet him is likely to be around 20.
The business community expects that a significant number of leaders from the top 10 conglomerates will attend the meetings. Possible attendees include Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, Park Jung-won, chairman of Doosan Group, Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS Group, and Cho Won-tae, chairman of Hanjin Group, while Lee Hae-jin, chairman of Naver (NAVER), has also been mentioned as a potential attendee.
However, Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, is expected to be unable to attend due to overseas commitments. Shin Dong-bin, chairman of LOTTE Corporation, is also visiting Indonesia leading a delegation from the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), and his son, Shin Yoo-yeol, the head of LOTTE Corporation’s future growth division (vice president), is likely to attend in his place.
Chung Ki-sun, vice chairman of HD Hyundai, is scheduled to tour the Ulsan shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries with John Phelan, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, on the same day, making it difficult to schedule a meeting.
Meeting times are reported to be 30 minutes to 1 hour per individual. The leaders of the business community are expected to explain the significant impacts that the high mutual tariffs set by the U.S. government will have on both economies and plead for the rates to be minimized. There are also expectations that discussions will include ways to expand U.S. investments and economic cooperation in sectors like semiconductors, energy, and automobiles.
It is reported that during this visit, Trump Jr. does not plan to meet with figures from the political community.
Trump Jr. is known to be a key figure behind the scenes in the second Trump administration. He is also the one who recommended Senator JD Vance as vice president.
Trump Jr. shares a close bond with Chairman Chung, to the extent that they consider each other as close friends. It is also said that their religious bond is strengthened as they are both Protestant believers.
During this visit, Chairman Chung is expected to accompany Trump Jr. for all his engagements and take care of him personally. Chairman Chung stayed for six days and five nights at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, at the invitation of Trump Jr. last December, where he had a conversation with then-president-elect Donald Trump.
When he visited Washington in January for Trump’s inauguration, he also made contacts with influential political figures through Trump Jr.'s arrangements. At that time, he showcased their camaraderie by taking a commemorative photo with Trump Jr. alongside his wife, Han Ji-hee.