Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group / SK Group
SK Group Chairman Tae-won Choi will visit Japan in early June to discuss Korea-Japan economic cooperation measures.
According to business sources on Tuesday, Choi is scheduled to attend the 31st Nikkei Forum “The Future of Asia,” to be held in Tokyo from June 9 to 11. It marks his third consecutive year of attendance, following participation in 2024 and 2025.
This year’s forum theme is “A More Resilient and Prosperous Asia Led by Cooperation and Solidarity.” Regional leaders will discuss ways to overcome challenges through solidarity amid uncertainties facing Asia, including Middle East conflicts and the resulting energy crisis.
SK Group (034730.KS) will separately host a Korea-Japan special session on June 9, the day before the main event. Choi is expected to reiterate his vision for a “Korea-Japan economic community,” which he has consistently emphasized. He is also expected to highlight mutual complementarity in advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as sharing solutions to low birth rates and aging populations.
During his visit to Japan for last year’s forum, Choi said in an interview with local media that “the World Trade Organization (WTO) system has collapsed and the rules of competition have changed,” adding that “Korea and Japan can enhance international competitiveness by forming an economic community to lower various costs.”
He also drew attention by mentioning plans for joint Korea-Japan procurement of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to strengthen pricing negotiation leverage and for joint use of energy storage facilities. He also expressed willingness to pursue collaboration with Japanese semiconductor-related companies.
This year’s special session will feature Japanese political and business figures, including former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Masakazu Tokura, senior advisor at Sumitomo Chemical and former chairman of Keidanren. From Korea, Kim Wan-jong, president of SK AX, which leads SK’s digital business, and Kim Sang-bae, head of the Center for Future Warfare Studies at Seoul National University and a cybersecurity expert, will also participate.
Choi’s efforts to strengthen Korea-Japan cooperation will continue beyond the Nikkei Forum. A symposium where the Korean and Japanese chambers of commerce will discuss measures to address low birth rates is scheduled for August in Sendai, and the Tokyo Forum, jointly hosted annually since 2019 by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Tokyo, is planned for November.
Korea-Japan cooperation has been the area Choi has focused on most since taking office as chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in 2021. Symbolically, he sent a letter to the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry urging stronger Korea-Japan cooperation immediately after taking office. With his term ending in March next year, Choi is reportedly devoting himself to translating his proposed Korea-Japan economic community vision into concrete achievements.
AloJapan.com