Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin (right) and US Vice President J.D. Vance (left). Shinsegae Group

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin met with US Vice President J.D. Vance at a Christmas dinner hosted by the Vice President.

According to Shinsegae Group on the 14th, Chairman Chung attended the dinner held at Vice President Vance's residence in Washington D.C. on the 12th (local time).

Attendees at the event included Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Business leaders such as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Palantir COO Shyam Shankar also participated.

Prior to the dinner, Chairman Chung visited the White House and met with high-level officials including White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios.

Director Kratsios served as the U.S. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering during the first Trump administration, and is responsible for the U.S. government's Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy in the second Trump administration. He is also known as a key figure in Peter Thiel's circle, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Thiel Capital.

Chairman Chung discussed cooperation on U.S. AI export programs with Director Kratsios. During the meeting, Chairman Chung expressed interest in adopting advanced technologies for the advancement of the retail industry.

Also attending the Christmas dinner event was Christopher Buskirk, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of 1789 Capital and co-founder of Rockbridge Network with Vice President Vance. Buskirk is expected to visit South Korea in January next year to meet with members of Rockbridge Network Korea and officially join its board of directors.

Rockbridge Network has been established in South Korea following its establishment in the United States, and efforts are underway to establish it in Japan and Taiwan.

Chairman Chung serves as the Asia President of Rockbridge Network and is also a director of Rockbridge Network Korea, which was formally launched as a think tank in October.

 Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin (left) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (right). Shinsegae Group