Hanwha Group chief and his sons meet Heritage Foundation founder

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, center, and his three sons pose next to Edwin John Feulner Jr., founder of the conservative U.S. think tank, the Heritage Foundation, fourth from left, after dinner at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. From left are Kim Dong-seon, executive director Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, Hanwha Solutions Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, Kim, Feulner, and Hanwha Life Insurance Vice President Kim Dong-won. Courtesy of Hanwha Group

By Kim Hyun-bin

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn met with Edwin John Feulner Jr., founder of the conservative American think tank, the Heritage Foundation, and discussed a wide array of current issues, including global economic issues and diplomatic events, as well as ways to enhance friendly relations between Korea and the U.S., the company announced, Wednesday.

The dinner meeting took place after Feulner took part in a domestic forum promoting the free market economy and enhancing Korea-U.S. alliance at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.

At the dinner, Chairman Kim's eldest son, Kim Dong-kwan, vice chairman of Hanwha Solutions, his second son, Kim Dong-won, vice president of Hanwha Life Insurance, and his third son, Kim Dong-seon, executive director of Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, also attended the dinner. It is the second time this year that Kim met with Feulner.

Feulner has expertise in the Asia region, including knowledge of and diverse experience with Korea's politics, economy and society. He had been the chairman of the Heritage Foundation until 2013 and he still heads the Asian Studies Center within the group

The close friendship between Chairman Kim and Feulner has been ongoing for around 40 years since the early 1980s. Whenever the opportunity came up, they shared their opinions on issues related to Korea and the U.S. as well as on the international economy in general.

Kim also met with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in March to discuss Korea-U.S. relations. Kim mentioned the difficulties local companies were facing then due to international tensions and stressed the importance of global leaders' cooperation in resolving the issues. Pence joined the Heritage Foundation as a guest research fellow in February 2021.