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Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin meets Trump at banquet in Qatar

Published: 15 May. 2025, 15:55 Updated: 15 May. 2025, 18:00

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at a state banquet hosted by Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha on May 14 as seen in this still of Forbes video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday during a state banquet hosted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

This marks the second time Chung has met Trump, following their first encounter in December of last year at the U.S. president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, shortly before Trump’s inauguration for his second term.

Chung was invited to the banquet at the personal request of the Qatari emir, who extended the invitation late last month, according to sources in the business industry on Thursday. Chung was the only Korean attendee at the event, which took place during Trump’s Middle East tour.

Chung has maintained a relationship with Donald Trump Jr. for about four years. The younger Trump visited Korea three times last year alone and met with Chung on each occasion, underscoring their close ties.

In January, Chung also attended the private indoor inauguration for Trump and the high-profile Starlight Ball, which brought together political and business leaders from around the world.

During that visit, Chung held meetings with key figures in the Trump administration, including Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, AI and crypto policy adviser David Sacks and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

More recently, Chung invited Trump Jr. to Korea and arranged meetings with major Korean business leaders.

Industry observers believe Chung’s close connection with the Trump family likely led to his inclusion on the guest list, which Qatari officials reportedly curated with Trump’s preferences in mind.

“They may see Chung as a communication channel to the Trump circle,” said one business insider.

At the banquet, Chung reportedly discussed avenues for broader Korea–Middle East cooperation with Emir Tamim.

The chairman will not accompany Trump on the rest of his Middle East itinerary and is expected to return to Korea after completing his stay in Qatar, sources said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI HYUN-JU [[email protected]]