Top Korean business leaders to play golf with Trump to support stalled tariff negotiations

Leading South Korean business executives are set to visit the United States for talks expected to support stalled Korea–U.S. tariff negotiations and discuss large-scale AI infrastructure projects, including SoftBank’s Stargate initiative. The meeting will reportedly take place at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach resort owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, with a golf event and private discussions also planned.

According to business sources on October 15, SoftBank Group Chairman Masayoshi Son recently invited major Korean conglomerate heads—Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo—to join the trip. Given the growing focus on the MASGA shipbuilding partnership project in ongoing trade talks, Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan may also participate.

The business leaders’ visit overlaps with official meetings in Washington, D.C., where Kim Yong-beom, senior presidential policy secretary, and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will hold follow-up discussions on the Korea–U.S. tariff agreement on October 16. The two governments are fine-tuning plans for a $350 billion investment fund aimed at boosting bilateral trade and manufacturing ties.

A similar delegation of Korean corporate leaders visited the U.S. in late August ahead of the summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Lee Jae-myung, providing support for trade negotiations at that time.

Another central agenda item is the massive AI infrastructure initiative known as Stargate. Masayoshi Son has previously announced plans to create a joint venture with OpenAI and Oracle, investing more than $400 billion over four years to build advanced AI data centers in the United States.

Korean conglomerates are expected to explore cooperation in semiconductors, energy, and capital investment linked to the project. At the Korea–U.S.–Japan Economic Dialogue (TED) held earlier in Tokyo, Lee Jae-yong and Chung Eui-sun met with Son to discuss potential areas of collaboration ahead of the Florida meeting.

The executives are expected to gather at Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump is scheduled to join them for talks and a round of golf. The meeting comes just weeks before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, signaling a coordinated effort by both government and private sectors to advance trade progress.

A senior presidential office official confirmed awareness of the Mar-a-Lago event, saying the administration “is informed of the planned meeting between business leaders and former President Trump.”

BY SUMIN KIM [kim.sumin2@joongang.co.kr]