Washington: Chung Yong-jin, chairman of the South Korean retail conglomerate Shinsegae Group, conducted a series of strategic meetings with U.S. government officials and technology leaders to bolster his global business network prior to attending President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony, as reported by his company on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Chung's meetings, which took place from January 18-20, involved discussions with key figures in the new administration and prominent local tech firms. Among those he met were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, David Sacks, the recently appointed White House czar for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, and Chris Buskirk and Omeed Malik, co-founders of venture capital firm 1789 Capital.
Chung's itinerary began in Washington, where he and Donald Trump Jr. met with executives from 1789 Capital. During his conversation with Sacks, Chung expressed a strong interest in integrating AI technologies into Shinsegae Group's retail and distribution operations to enhance customer service.
In addition to these meetings, Chung also engaged with Andrew Ferguson, commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. The trip culminated with Chung and his wife attending Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capital One Arena, a large sports and entertainment venue located near Capitol Hill.
Notably, Kim Bom, chairman and founder of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., was also in attendance at the Capital One Arena to witness the event. Meanwhile, South Korea's Ambassador to the U.S., Cho Hyun-dong, represented Seoul at the Capitol Rotunda, a space with limited capacity accommodating about 600 attendees.