Chey makes 1st US visit as KCCI chairman
Chey Tae-won, second from left, SK Group chairman and also chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), listens to President Moon Jae-in as he is greeted by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, left, during Moon's visit to the site of a battery plant being built by SK Innovation in Georgia, Saturday (local time). Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
The summit between leaders of Korea and the United States last week marked the first overseas visit of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won after he began his term in March.
Also chairman of SK Group, Chey was the only chief from Korea's major business lobby groups to accompany President Moon Jae-in during his five-day U.S. trip that ended Sunday (KST).
Chey was also the highest-ranking business executive to join the economic delegation from Korea's four biggest companies ― Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG and SK ― that announced plans to invest a combined 44 trillion won ($39 billion) in the U.S. on the occasion of Moon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Chey accordingly played an active role, meeting government officials, entrepreneurs and leaders of think tanks and business lobby groups to enhance economic cooperation with the U.S. that seeks to spur domestic investments in semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and bioscience.
The U.S.' efforts are largely designed to “outcompete” China through cooperation with Korea and other allied countries.
Chey Tae-won, chairman of both the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and SK Group, attends a business roundtable hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., Friday (local time), on the occasion of the summit between the leaders of the two countries. Yonhap
During a business roundtable at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., Friday (local time), Chey addressed the competiveness of Korean industries and how the business communities of the two sides can work together to achieve the U.S. government's strategy.
President Moon and the Korean economic delegates attended the meeting.
The U.S. side was represented by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, Steve Kiefer, president of GM's international operations, Novavax CEO Stanley Erck, DuPont CEO Edward Breen and Ampere Computing CEO Renee James.
In particular, Chey shared a thought with Joshua Bolten, president and CEO of the Business Roundtable (BRT), over environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and other management styles that can contribute to sustainable growth and promote “new entrepreneurship.”
BRT, a group of CEOs of leading American enterprises, is among the three largest U.S. business associations along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) and the National Association of Manufacturers.
Chey accompanied President Moon again, Saturday, when the Korean leader visited the site of a battery plant being built by SK Innovation, a SK Group affiliate, in Georgia.
The $2.6 billion project could cement Georgia's place as the Southeastern U.S. hub for the electric battery and vehicle market.
Moon said the Georgia plant “symbolizes friendship and high-tech cooperation” between the two countries and that the battery field shows the best opportunities for bilateral partnership.