Donald Trump Jr., the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, visiting South Korea for a two-day, one-night schedule, has concluded a 'relay meeting' with domestic corporate leaders. The meetings were held in such secrecy that the specific times and routes could not be confirmed, starting early on the morning of the 30th. The individual meeting times are reported to be between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
The first to appear was the Hanwha Group's three brothers: Kim Dong-kwan, Vice Chairman of Hanwha Group, Kim Dong-won, President of Hanwha Life, and Kim Dong-seon, Vice President overseeing future vision at Hanwha Galleria and Hotel & Resort. After their meeting, they were spotted packaging coffee at a coffee shop in Hotel East Dong around 8:45 a.m.
The three brothers of Hanwha were reportedly among the first corporations scheduled to meet with Trump Jr. Discussions were said to have revolved around the shipbuilding and solar energy businesses that Hanwha Group is actively pursuing in the United States.
Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of NAVER, who recently returned to the board, also met with Trump Jr. on this day to discuss cooperation in areas such as AI (artificial intelligence). A NAVER official noted, "We shared opinions on AI, tech, and global expansion, and had a positive dialogue regarding mutual cooperation." In the financial sector, Yang Jong-hee, Chairman of KB Financial Group, was the only one to participate in the meeting, reportedly discussing various investment strategies.
Shin Yoo-yeol, Vice President of LOTTE Corporation and head of the Future Growth Division, also participated in the meeting with Trump Jr. It is reported that Shin discussed cooperation in the bio sector, one of LOTTE's key new businesses. After acquiring the Syracuse plant in the U.S. in 2022, LOTTE Biologics is set to become the first domestic contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) to commence production in the United States.
Prior to the meeting, Shin traveled with the economic delegation of The Federation of Korean Industries, led by Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of LOTTE Group, who visited Indonesia from the 28th to the 29th. Following this, Shin moved to Vietnam for local business inspections and other remaining schedules, while Vice President Shin is reported to have returned to Korea.
Trump Jr. also met with Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ Group. CJ Group is pushing for large-scale investments in the U.S., particularly with CJ CheilJedang's plan to invest 700 billion won to build North America's largest Asian food plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Lee conveyed the necessity of addressing tariff barriers and distribution regulations when exporting food products.
In addition, Trump Jr. reportedly met with Heo Yong-soo, President of GS Energy, Seo Jeong-jin, Chairman of Celltrion, Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Korean Air, Gu Ja-eun, Chairman of LS, and Moon Joo-hyun, Chairman of MDM Group.
However, there were no meetings with the heads of the four major groups during this visit. Excluding Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, who is currently overseas, Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Gu Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, all did not participate in this meeting.
The meeting between Trump Jr. and domestic corporate leaders took place in a separate secured area of the hotel, where access was restricted to officials only. The movement routes within the building were not disclosed to the press. Although many reporters guarded the lobby entrance and the corridor connecting to the hotel rooms, it is presumed that the corporate leaders used the underground parking garage on the 4th floor, which was restricted due to floor repair work, to enter and exit.
Trump Jr. entered the country around 6:20 p.m. on the 29th via a charter flight through the Gimpo Business Aviation Center. He then moved to Chung Yong-jin's home, where they reportedly had dinner for about two hours starting at 9 p.m. After completing his short visit of two days and one night, Trump Jr. is scheduled to depart that evening.