Samsung, Hanwha, Hyundai donate to Trump's inauguration

President Donald Trump dances with first lady Melania Trump at the Commander-in-Chief Ball in Washington, Jan. 20. UPI-Yonhap

Samsung, Hanwha and Hyundai Motor were among the Korean conglomerates listed as donors to U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, according to a document released by the Federal Election Commission Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics America donated $315,000 (450 million won) to Trump’s second-term inauguration on Jan. 20, the document showed. This was more than triple the $100,000 Samsung donated in 2017 during his first inauguration.

Hanwha Group’s two affiliates — Hanwha Defense USA and Qcells USA — each donated $500,000 to Trump’s latest inauguration. Hyundai Motor America also contributed $1 million on Jan. 6 as part of its lobbying efforts toward the Trump administration.

The Korean conglomerates donated via their U.S. subsidiaries, as required by law.

In response, Trump's inaugural committee invited a group of top executives from the companies to the inauguration ceremony.

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan was on the list. He attended a candlelit dinner ahead of the inauguration.

Coupang donated $1 million on Dec. 16. Coupang founder and Chairman Bom Kim also attended Trump's inauguration ceremony.

The Korean companies made the donations to brace for Trump’s protectionist stance, as none of them were listed as donors for former U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

The moves are seen as part of their strategic decision to receive more favorable trade terms from the world's largest economy. After Trump took office in January, he has implemented a series of protectionist trade policies, most notably the imposition of tariffs.

Hyundai Motor was hit particularly hard by Trump’s 25 percent tariff on vehicles imported to the United States. Trump also threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on semiconductor imports.

The document also showed that Trump’s second inauguration raised a total of $239 million — more than double the $107 million raised during his first inauguration and the highest figure collected for a presidential inauguration in the U.S. Big tech firms there — such as Amazon, Nvidia, Google and Meta — also made large donations.