Confirmed Attendance of Business Leaders Woo Oh-hyun and Ryu Jin
Interest in Whether Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin Will Be Invited
Jung Yong-jin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group, and Huh Young-in, Chairman of SPC Group, along with other key figures in the domestic distribution industry, have been invited to the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President Donald Trump, which will be held on the 20th (local time) in Washington DC, USA.
Jung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, who met with Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, is returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the 22nd of last month. Photo by Yonhap News
According to related industries on the 8th, Chairman Jung has officially been invited to attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony. Earlier, he was the first domestic figure to meet the president-elect at his residence in Mar-a-Lago Resort, Palm Beach, Florida, USA, at the end of last year, where they had a meal together and held a meeting.
This meeting was arranged by an invitation from Trump Jr., the eldest son of President-elect Trump. Chairman Jung has maintained a friendship with Trump Jr. for some time. On his way back to Korea, Chairman Jung said, "Once the government delegation is formed, if I receive a request to participate in the inauguration ceremony, I am willing to accept it."
There is also a possibility that Chairman Jung will attend the ball held on the evening of the inauguration day. It is known that the Trump couple will also attend this event. However, Shinsegae stated, "Since schedules other than the inauguration ceremony are subject to change, details such as attendance at the ball are not confirmed."
Huh Young-in, Chairman of SPC Group, will also attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony. Chairman Huh has been consistently engaged in Korea-US economic cooperation activities and received an invitation through the recommendation of the Korea-US Friendship Association.
Paris Baguette, operated by SPC, entered the U.S. market in 2005 and currently operates about 200 stores locally. Recently, it announced plans to invest $160 million to build a bakery factory in Burleson, Texas. Previously, Chairman Huh also had ties with the president-elect, attending the 'Meeting with Korean Businesspeople' when President Trump visited Korea in 2019.
In addition, in the business community, Woo Oh-hyun, Chairman of SM Group, will depart next weekend to attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony upon the recommendation of the Korea-US Friendship Association. Chairman Woo has supported Korea-US exchange activities as an advisor to the Korea-US Alliance Foundation. He was also invited to President Trump's first inauguration ceremony in January 2017. Furthermore, Ryu Jin, Chairman of Poongsan Group and President of the Korea Business Association, is also expected to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Meanwhile, attention is also focused on whether Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of Lotte Group, who has close ties with the Trump administration in the distribution industry, will attend the inauguration ceremony. Chairman Shin met with then-President Trump in the White House Oval Office in May 2019, becoming the first domestic conglomerate head to do so, following Lotte Chemical's $3.1 billion investment to establish a petrochemical plant in Louisiana, USA, in 2019. Regarding Chairman Shin's invitation to the inauguration ceremony, Lotte stated, "It has not yet been confirmed whether an official invitation has been received."
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