Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin joined US Vice President JD Vance and leading technology executives in Washington on Thursday for the launch of a government-backed expertise program, as the Korean retail group expands its role in a US-led AI supply chain initiative.
According to Shinsegae Group on Friday, Chung attended the launch of Foundry School at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace at the invitation of US Vice President JD Vance and the US Department of State.
Foundry School, led by the State Department in cooperation with Stanford University, is intended to train entrepreneurs, engineers and other professionals needed to drive cutting-edge manufacturing and strategic industries.
Shinsegae Group said Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, described Shinsegae's partnership with US AI startup Reflection AI as an important milestone in Korea-US cooperation in advanced industries while calling Chung a strong partner in efforts to build trusted AI supply chains among allies.
Reflection AI CEO and co-founder Misha Laskin, whose company is working with Shinsegae Group on an AI data center project in Korea, noted in a panel discussion that the cooperation between his company and Chung's Shinsegae demonstrates a strong Korea-US partnership and offers an example of how the US and its allies can work together in practice.
In March, Shinsegae and Reflection AI signed a partnership to pursue a large-scale AI data center project in Korea. The two companies are currently working to establish a joint venture and select a site for the facility. The project has drawn attention as the first initiative under a US State Department program designed to promote the global expansion of trusted AI.
The event brought together senior US political figures, including Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise, as well as executives from major technology and semiconductor companies. Among those attending were Meta President Dina Powell McCormick, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson.
The Shinsegae Group leader held talks with Laskin and other attendees, including Vance, Rubio, Scalise, Helberg and Powell McCormick, emphasizing the importance of closer Korea-US cooperation for the success of the Pax Silica initiative, a US-led economic security framework designed to strengthen supply chains for semiconductors, AI, advanced manufacturing and energy among trusted allies.
"Successfully leading an advanced-industry supply chain alliance centered on the US is the task of our time," Chung said. "If Korea and the US join forces, we will be able to generate greater synergies."
Chung added that Shinsegae Group will also gather and cultivate talent through ceaseless creative innovation, as outstanding talent is essential to developing advanced industries such as AI.
hwkan@heraldcorp.com
