"Met as Neighbors, Grew Closer Through Military Service"… Choi Tae-won's Daughter and Fianc? Love Story

Graduated from Harvard... Served in the Marine Corps and Founded a Startup
Met as Neighbors in 2020 and Grew Their Love
Wedding Scheduled for the 13th at Walkerhill Hotel, Seoul

Choi Min-jung (33), the second daughter of Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, is reported to be getting married on the 13th at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul.

On the 10th, the Chosun Ilbo reported on the love story of Choi Min-jung and her fianc? Kevin Hwang (34). It is said that the military played a decisive role in their meeting. Born in 1991, Choi is the daughter of Chairman Choi and Noh So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi. She majored in business administration at Peking University in China and, unusually for a chaebol family daughter, applied to become a naval officer candidate in 2014 and was commissioned as an ensign.

In 2015, she gained attention for serving six months aboard the Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin ship of the Cheonghae Unit, deployed to the Gulf of Aden. After completing her military service, she joined Hongyi Investment, one of the top 10 investment firms in China, gaining experience in global mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and then joined SK Hynix as an assistant manager in 2019 before taking a leave of absence in early 2022.

Choi Min-jung (right), the second daughter of Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and Kevin Hwang, an American.
[Photo by Kevin Hwang Instagram]

Additionally, she served as an unpaid advisor at 'Dun,' a remote medical startup in San Francisco, USA, and volunteered in education at the local NGO 'SMART.' In March this year, she co-founded Integral Health, an AI-based healthcare startup in the US. Integral Health partners with healthcare institutions and health insurance companies to provide programs managing mental health.

Her fianc?, Kevin Hwang, similarly has diverse military experience with the US Marine Corps, US Forces Korea, and the US Department of Defense. After graduating from Harvard University, Kevin Hwang joined the US Marine Corps as a commissioned officer in 2016 and was promoted to captain. Since 2021, he has transitioned to the reserves, running a startup in California while serving as a Marine reservist. In the US, the reserve system differs from Korea’s, as reservists typically engage in civilian occupations but undergo regular training and can volunteer or be called to active duty as needed.

The two reportedly first met as neighbors in Washington DC in 2020. At that time, Kevin Hwang was working at the Pentagon (US Department of Defense), and Choi was working at SK Hynix’s Washington office. They grew closer sharing their military service experiences, and their relationship deepened when Kevin Hwang served as a logistics planning officer for US Forces Korea in South Korea for about nine months starting in October 2020.

Their wedding news became known as invitations were sent to acquaintances. The wedding of Choi and Hwang will be held on the 13th at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. The Walkerhill Hotel is operated by SK Networks, an SK Group affiliate. It is also reported that Chairman Choi and Director Noh, who is currently in divorce proceedings with him, will attend the wedding.