Samsung, SK chiefs to attend Google Camp in Italy: sources

Heads of South Korean conglomerates, along with heads of major global tech companies, meet in San Francisco, Friday. Yonhap

The heads of Korea's two largest business groups — Samsung Electronics and SK Group — are set to visit Google Camp on the Italian island of Sicily later this month, industry sources said Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are expected to attend the invitation-only annual summer gathering hosted by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The event brings together leading technology executives, business leaders and prominent public figures from around the world.

The two executives were reportedly unable to attend last year's gathering as they were focused on a series of visits to the United States during the final stages of Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations.

Industry observers expect Lee and Chey to use this year's event to strengthen ties with Google and other global technology leaders while discussing key business issues.

The planned visit comes after the two attended a high-level meeting in San Francisco last week that brought together the heads of major Korean conglomerates and global technology companies.

At the meeting, Korean conglomerates and global technology firms, including Nvidia, agreed to pursue a series of cooperation projects with a combined value of $950 billion.