On the 30th, the three brothers of Hanwha Group, ranked 7th in the business sector, met with Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump Jr. visited Korea at the invitation of Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, on the 29th. The visit lasted for 1 night and 2 days.
At around 8 a.m. on the same day, Kim Dong-kwan, vice chairman of Hanwha Group, Kim Dong-won, president of Hanwha Life, and Kim Dong-sun, vice president overseeing Hanwha Galleria and Hotel & Resort, appeared at the Chosun Palace Seoul Gangnam, where Trump Jr. was staying. Reportedly, they conducted relay meetings with Trump Jr. in order among corporate leaders. Given that Hanwha Group is actively pursuing shipbuilding and solar energy businesses in the U.S., it is presumed that relevant discussions took place.
After the meeting, the three brothers of Hanwha Group were spotted packaging coffee around 8:45 a.m. at a coffee shop in the East Dong hotel. The eldest brother, Kim Dong-kwan, was reported to be on his way to meet John Phelan, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, who was visiting the Hanwha Ocean Geoje plant in the afternoon after meeting Trump Jr. The second brother, Kim Dong-won, responded to reporters asking about the details of the meeting, saying, "I just came to enjoy some coffee."
Following the equity transfer of Kim Seung-yeon, chairman of Hanwha Group, at the end of last month, succession plans for the third generation of management among Kim Dong-kwan (defense, shipbuilding, energy), Kim Dong-won (finance), and Kim Dong-sun (retail, robotics, semiconductor equipment) are being realized.
Furthermore, Hanwha Group maintains close ties with the Republican Party in the United States, to which Trump Jr. and the Trump family belong. During the inauguration of President Trump in January 2017, Kim Seung-yeon, the brothers' father, was the only corporate leader from one of Korea's top 10 groups to be invited.
Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan also attended the 2nd inauguration ceremony of President Trump held in January this year. During that event, he established networks by meeting with various members of the Trump administration, including Minister of State Mark Rubio, nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
On that day, it is expected that more than 20 heads of corporations from the top 30 groups will participate in the relay meeting with Trump Jr. In addition to the three brothers of Hanwha Group, participants include Lee Hae-jin, chairman of Naver (NAVER), Shin Yu-yeol, future growth manager (vice president) of LOTTE Corporation, Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, and Seo Jung-jin, chairman of Celltrion.
Additionally, there is a possibility that corporate leaders from industries such as semiconductor, automotive, energy, electronics, steel, defense, and nuclear power—led by Cho Won-tae, chairman of Korean Air, and Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS—who have substantial business operations in the U.S., may also join. The meeting is reported to last between 30 minutes and 1 hour.