[Edaily SOYEON KIM Reporters Kim Hyung-wook and Park Min-woong] Even during the Chuseok holiday, business leaders are focusing on their management strategies both at home and abroad. SamsungElectronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee is expected to visit overseas business sites in person again this Chuseok to oversee local operations. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and LG Corp. Chairman Koo Kwang-mo will accompany President Lee Jae-myung on his state visit to Mexico to meet with local business leaders.

◇ Expanding Global Networks

According to business circles on the 23rd, SamsungElectronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee has continued his global business initiatives by visiting overseas operations during holiday breaks in recent years. It is reported that he is highly likely to embark on an overseas business trip this year as well.

During the 2024 Chuseok holiday, Chairman Lee attended the closing ceremony of the WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France, and visited SamsungElectronics stores and manufacturing plants in Poland. During the Lunar New Year holiday that same year, he visited the SAMSUNG SDI CO.,LTD. battery plant in Malaysia. For Chuseok in 2023, he toured the Middle East, visiting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt.

A trip to London, UK, is also scheduled for this year. Chairman Lee Kun-Hee is expected to attend a gala event commemorating the overseas touring exhibition of the “Lee Kun-Hee Collection” ahead of the opening of a special exhibition on Korea at the British Museum, which begins on the 1st of next month. This event marks the conclusion of the overseas exhibition tour that began last year in Washington, D.C., continued through Chicago, and concluded in London. This move is seen as both carrying on the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s spirit of “serving the nation through culture” and expanding his network among global political, business, and cultural figures.

Chairman Chey Tae-won will accompany President Lee Jae-myung as part of the economic delegation during his state visit to Mexico over the Chuseok holiday. Chairman Chey is scheduled to attend the Korea-Mexico Business Forum, hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation between the two countries.

He is then expected to travel to New York City to attend the Korea Society Gala Dinner on the 28th (local time). There is also speculation that he may meet with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, at the event. The two sides are expected to discuss specific implementation plans for existing collaborations, such as artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and data centers.

Chairman Koo Kwang-mo will also accompany the President on his visit to Mexico. There is speculation that he may visit LGELECTRONICS’ local production facilities in Mexico. LGELECTRONICS operates production facilities in Monterrey, Reynosa, and Mexicali, among other locations in Mexico, where it manufactures major home appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. These factories serve as key production hubs targeting the North American market. LS Group Chairman Ja-eun Koo will also accompany President Lee on his visit to Mexico to attend the Korea-Mexico Business Forum.

◇ Business Leaders Focus on ‘Management Strategies’

Business leaders who are not traveling abroad are expected to remain in Korea to review pressing management issues and formulate future strategies. It has been reported that Euisun Chung, Chairman of HyundaiMotor Group, will remain in Korea during the Chuseok holiday to oversee the group’s key issues. Major affiliates, including HyundaiMotor and KIA CORPORATION, are at a critical juncture where they must assess whether this year’s business targets have been met and enhance the execution capabilities for future business initiatives. In particular, they are accelerating the commercialization of future businesses, such as the deployment of humanoid robots on production floors.

Hanwha Group Chairman Seung Youn Kim and Senior Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan are reportedly spending time with their families in Korea during the holiday without any separate public engagements. As Hanwha is accelerating its push into the U.S. defense and shipbuilding markets, they are expected to review this year’s business performance and devise management strategies for next year.