[This Person] "Korea's Trump" Moon Juhyun, Chairman of MDM Group, Holds Special Meeting with Donald Trump Jr.

Chairman Moon Juhyun of MDM Group, South Korea's Leading Real Estate Developer, Meets Visiting Donald Trump Jr.
Discusses U.S. Investment Partnership and Cooperation Plans

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former U.S. President Donald Trump, visited South Korea on April 29 at the invitation of Chung Yongjin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group. After a series of meetings with heads of major Korean conglomerates on April 30, he departed the country on May 1.

Particular attention was drawn to Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Moon Juhyun, Chairman of MDM Group, South Korea's largest real estate developer, during his visit.

As the eldest son of former President Trump and a leading U.S. developer, Donald Trump Jr. plays a central role in the Trump Organization, participating in large-scale real estate development projects.

On this day, Chairman Moon Juhyun met Donald Trump Jr. at a hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, and held a 30-minute conversation. It is reported that they agreed to actively cooperate as partners, including on U.S. investment and other collaborative matters.

The meeting between Chairman Moon Juhyun and Donald Trump Jr. is believed to have taken place due to MDM Group's status as a top-tier global developer with a presence not only in the United States but also in Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Chairman Moon founded MDM, a real estate marketing and development company, in 1998 during the height of the IMF foreign exchange crisis. He grew the company into South Korea's largest real estate developer, with a total developed floor area of 1.3 million pyeong and cumulative sales of 20 trillion KRW, contributing to both the real estate industry and the national economy.

In 2021, just 23 years after its founding, MDM became the first developer to be designated as a large business group by the Fair Trade Commission. In 2025, according to the Fair Trade Commission's announcement, MDM ranked 63rd among Korean conglomerates, joining the top 60 groups with assets of 8.7 trillion KRW and equity capital of 4.6 trillion KRW.

This meeting is drawing attention as an encounter between two leading developers representing South Korea and the United States.

Donald Trump Jr. studied economics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before joining the Trump Organization, where he oversees real estate, hotel, and golf businesses. He has developed projects such as Trump Tower in India and the Trump Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. In Korea, mixed-use residential and commercial buildings bearing the Trump name have been established in Yeouido and Yongsan, Seoul.

MDM Group's Overseas Investment Status

MDM Group's overseas business strategy involves forming partnerships with leading local developers and global asset management firms, pursuing joint investment and development with local partners. The current status of investments by region is as follows:

United States

Ø 2017-2022 - Equity investment in value-add real estate funds managed by global asset manager Gaw Capital (including Silicon Valley offices, hotels in New York and Hawaii, LA studios, San Diego hotels, etc.)

Ø 2018 - Establishment of a local U.S. subsidiary: MDM International

Ø March 2021: Groundbreaking; July 2023: Completion - Landmark office development project in a prime area of downtown Dallas, Texas (jointly developed with Harwood, a leading Texas developer): The project has a total floor area of approximately 22,000 pyeong and 27 above-ground floors. Most of the space was pre-leased to major tenants such as large law firms before completion, and the building is now operating successfully.

Ø 2021 - Acquisition of a city government office building in downtown San Francisco, U.S. (total floor area of approximately 3,600 pyeong), fully and stably leased long-term to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Ø 2023 - Investment in a campus office building in the financial district of downtown San Francisco, U.S. (total floor area of approximately 8,300 pyeong). The property was acquired at about one-third of the prevailing market price through a bank auction, in partnership with global asset manager Gaw Capital and others.

Ø Scheduled for groundbreaking in September 2025 - Mixed-use development project near downtown Los Angeles: The project has a total floor area of approximately 9,000 pyeong and will include 160 apartment units, retail space, and self-storage facilities.

* April 2025 - Discussions with the Trump Organization regarding real estate development and investment within the United States.

Vietnam

Ø 2021: Thu Thiem New Urban Area development project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Total project cost of approximately 3.2 trillion KRW, total floor area of 280,000 pyeong (including apartments, offices, hotels, serviced residences, shopping malls, etc.). This large-scale new city development is being carried out jointly with leading Singaporean developers and global asset managers. Approximately 55% of the project is currently completed, with full completion scheduled for 2031.

Japan

Ø 2023: Investment in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in a prime area of Shinjuku, Tokyo (in front of Tokyo City Hall) - The property has a total floor area of approximately 22,000 pyeong, 28 floors, and 746 rooms. The investment was made jointly with a global private equity fund and global asset managers at a discounted price during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the property is currently generating high returns.

Singapore

Ø 2024: Establishment of a local subsidiary in Singapore, MDM PLUS ASIA, to expand investment in prime real estate in major Asian cities (Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, etc.)

Ø MDM PLUS ASIA, the Singaporean subsidiary, is partnering with Asia-focused overseas investment managers to make equity investments in senior housing development in Australia, data centers in Indonesia, and logistics warehouses in India.

MDM Group has grown from South Korea's top developer into a comprehensive real estate finance group (including real estate trusts, asset management, REITs, capital, overseas investment, etc.), and all employees of the group are working together with a vision to become a global comprehensive real estate finance group in the future.

Chairman Moon's Commitment to Noblesse Oblige

Chairman Moon Juhyun is highly regarded as a member of the social elite who practices 'noblesse oblige.'

Just three years after founding the company, Chairman Moon established the Moonju Scholarship Foundation (current endowment: 66.7 billion KRW) and has been engaged in scholarship programs. He continues to practice sharing for a better society through donations for nurturing future talent and support for the underprivileged.

Chairman Moon is also actively addressing the national issue of low birth rates. MDM Group provides a monthly allowance of 200,000 KRW for employees with one child, 500,000 KRW for those with two children, and 1,000,000 KRW per month for those with three children, until each child reaches 18 years of age. This policy is recognized as a significant contribution to encouraging childbirth. As a result, an employee with three children receives 1,000,000 KRW per month, totaling 12,000,000 KRW per year, significantly increasing their annual income.