Lee Jae-yong Absent During 'Late' Trump Speech... Conglomerate Leaders' Hectic 'Business Meetings' [Gyeongju APEC]

Lee Jae-yong Skips Trump’s Speech for Business Meetings
Discusses Practical Cooperation with Global CEOs
LG’s Cho Joo-wan, GS’s Heo Tae-soo... Announce Collaboration Plans with AWS

At the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, global business leaders are navigating a packed schedule as they seek out new intersections for technological and investment cooperation.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jay-yong drew attention for his hectic pace, being the only major conglomerate leader absent during U.S. President Donald Trump’s special address, as he attended a series of business meetings instead.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo are conversing at the 'APEC CEO Summit' held on the 29th at Gyeongju Arts Center. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On October 29, as business leaders from various countries gathered in Korea, they moved swiftly at the Gyeongju Arts Center, where the CEO Summit opened. Chairman Lee Jay-yong left his seat and disappeared when President Trump’s special address session was delayed due to his late arrival. Meanwhile, the heads of major groups gathered at the venue to listen to President Trump’s speech. Among those present were Choi Taewon, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, Chung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, Jang Inhwa, Chairman of POSCO, Chung Kisun, Chairman of HD Hyundai, and Chung Yongjin, Chairman of Shinsegae.

Although Chairman Lee Jay-yong had been present since the opening ceremony, he was the only one who did not attend President Trump’s speech. It is understood that he was engaged in discussions for practical cooperation with prominent global CEOs. An industry insider commented, “He attended previously scheduled overseas business meetings,” and added, “It was significant enough for him to participate in person.” The CEO Summit saw the participation of many global companies currently collaborating with Samsung Electronics, such as Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Chairman Lee is expected to continue holding consecutive meetings in both Seoul and Gyeongju throughout the week.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun (right), Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yongjin, and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong are greeting each other at the opening ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit held at Gyeongju Arts Center on the 29th.

In Gyeongju, a “super week” for global business leaders is set to continue. With so many global heavyweights gathered, CEOs from various countries are moving quickly to discover new opportunities for cooperation.

On the afternoon of the same day, LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan was scheduled to meet with Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s leading cloud company. They are highly likely to discuss data center infrastructure, including the supply of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions, which LG is focusing on as a future growth area. CEO Cho plans to hold a series of meetings not only with AWS but also with various global companies to expand cooperation.

GS Group Chairman Huh Taesu also met with CEO Matt Garman to discuss ways to collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI). Chairman Huh and CEO Garman met at a location in Gyeongju in the afternoon and agreed to expand mutual cooperation to accelerate AI transformation, including the use of cloud technology for digital transformation. In a CEO Summit session held in the morning, CEO Garman announced, “We will invest at least 40 billion dollars in 14 APEC member countries and economies by 2028.”

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, who is visiting Korea for the first time in 15 years, is scheduled to arrive on October 30 and meet with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jay-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, among others. Before participating in a special session at the CEO Summit on the 31st, he is expected to announce “AI chip supply plans” together with Samsung and Hyundai Motor. There is also speculation that Choi Taewon, a key partner supplying high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to Nvidia, will join the meeting.