Trump Jr. meets with business leaders to discuss partnerships; top 4 absent

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, held a series of closed-door meetings with top Korean business leaders Wednesday to discuss potential partnerships in the shipbuilding, defense and energy sectors.

Around 20 business leaders of major South Korean conglomerates engaged in U.S.-dependent sectors, such as energy, IT, defense, biotech, semiconductors and steel, had the one-on-one meetings, which reportedly began at 7 a.m. and lasted nearly 12 hours under tight security at the Josun Palace hotel in Yeoksam, southern Seoul.

The discussions lasted between 30 minutes to an hour per session. No details were disclosed about the schedule or the participants.

Most notably, Trump Jr. met with Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and his two younger brothers heading Hanwha affiliates — Kim Dong-won, chief global officer and president of Hanwha Life Corp., and Kim Dong-seon, vice president and head of future vision at Hanwha Galleria Corp.

Hanwha Group is widely known for having maintained close ties with the U.S. Republican Party.

This two-day visit marks Trump Jr.’s first trip to South Korea since his father took office in January. The trip was arranged at the invitation of Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin.

Trump Jr. arrived in Seoul late Tuesday via a private jet and reportedly headed straight to Chung’s residence, where they shared a two-hour dinner from 9 p.m.

Other business leaders reportedly include CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, Celltrion Inc. Chairman Seo Jung-jin, Naver Corp. founder Lee Hae-jin, Lotte Corp. Senior Vice President Shin Yoo-yeol, Korean Air Chief Executive Officer Cho Won-tae and Koo Ja-eun, chairman of LS Group.

Trump Jr., however, did not meet with the heads of South Korea’s top four conglomerates — Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai and LG.

A CJ spokesperson earlier said, “The chairman will meet with Trump Jr. this afternoon to discuss expanding business partnerships in the U.S. market, where demand for CJ’s Bibigo dumplings and other food products is rising.”

Lotte’s Shin Yoo-yeol was also expected to discuss expansion in the U.S., where the company operates a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) plant, a chemical facility and four Lotte hotels, according to a company spokesperson.

For Korean companies that export to the U.S. and seek a reliable communication channel with Washington, these meetings present a rare opportunity to engage directly with someone closely connected to President Trump.

Industry sources said South Korea’s business circles had asked the Shinsegae chairman to help facilitate Trump Jr.’s trip to Seoul well before the U.S. presidential election, held in November.

“South Korean companies had asked Chung to help facilitate Trump Jr.’s visit in hopes of establishing ties with a potential second-term Trump administration,” an industry official said.

Executives from the semiconductor, automotive, energy, steel and defense sectors have expressed interest in one-on-one meetings with Trump Jr., the official added.

In December, Trump Jr. invited the Shinsegae chairman to his father’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which led to a meeting between Chung and then President-elect Trump.

The Trump administration began imposing “reciprocal tariffs,” including 25 percent duties on South Korea, on April 9, only to announce a 90-day pause shortly afterward.

In recent high-profile trade talks, Seoul and Washington agreed to pursue a comprehensive package agreement by July 8, when the 90-day tariff pause is set to expire.