Samsung, SK chiefs talk chips and AI with U.S. senators

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Samsung, SK chiefs talk chips and AI with U.S. senators

Published: 04 Sep. 2024, 14:20 Updated: 04 Sep. 2024, 18:22

LEE JAE-LIM
lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, fifth from left, poses with a delegation of U.S. senators including Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, fourth from left, at SK's headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday. [SK]

Chiefs of Samsung Electronics and SK met with a delegation of U.S. senators to discuss economic cooperation in Korea's two largest conglomerates' key business areas of semiconductors, batteries and AI.

The delegation — including Republicans Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, John Thune of South Dakota, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Democrats Chris Coons of Delaware and Gary Peters of Michigan — met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won at SK's headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday. The lawmakers met Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg the following day at Seungjiwon in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul.

Seungjiwon was often used as the office of the late Lee Kun Hee, the current executive chairman's father.

Jun Young-hyun, head of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions division, and Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim also attended the meeting.

“SK Group is building the chip ecosystem in both Korea and the U.S., which can contribute to strengthening AI leadership in both countries,” Chey told the senators. “Our energy business, including batteries, is growing on a global scale and is crucial not only for the economy, but also from a security perspective.

SK Group Chairman, right, speaks with the U.S. senators at SK's headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday. [SK]

Senators reportedly said the role Korean companies, including SK, play in the two countries’ development is growing larger, with emphasis on the partnership of trust in all business realms.

The occasion marked Chey's second gathering with U.S. senators after meeting a delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last October.

Chey continuously engages with influential figures in the global political and business sectors. The Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, led by Chey, has hosted the annual Trans-Pacific Dialogue in the United States since 2021. The dialogue draws high-ranking officials form Korea, the United States and Japan, along with scholars, think tanks and business leaders to discuss and explore cooperation.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]