This article was published on Aug. 4, 2025, at 3:21 p.m. on the ChosunBiz MoneyMove site.
Kim Byung-joo, Chairman of MBK Partners, has reportedly maintained a close friendship with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick through his activities on the board of Haverford College. Currently, South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations have made a broad agreement, and they are now in the phase of coordinating details. It is believed that the relationship between Secretary Lutnick and Chairman Kim has functioned, to some extent, as an informal channel for private-level discussions.
On the 4th, investment banking (IB) industry and political and business circles indicate that Chairman Kim emphasized Secretary Lutnick's influence to a senior government official during the tariff negotiation process and advised that strategic positioning of the negotiation counterpart was necessary.
In fact, Chairman Kim is known to have exchanged messages in real time with Secretary Lutnick, providing some information that reportedly assisted the South Korean government's negotiation strategy. Industry insiders predict that the 'hotline' between the two will be maintained in the future.
Secretary Lutnick and Chairman Kim are alumni of Haverford College. Secretary Lutnick graduated from Haverford College with a degree in economics in 1983, and Chairman Kim received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the same school in 1985.
The two have reportedly strengthened their relationship through their activities on the board of Haverford College. Secretary Lutnick has served as a board member for 21 years, during which he has also held the position of chair. Chairman Kim, after spending seven years on the board, currently serves as chair, succeeding Secretary Lutnick.
Secretary Lutnick is a key figure overseeing trade and industrial policies in the second term of the Trump administration. He is recognized as someone with extensive influence across the private and public sectors in the U.S. Chairman Kim is the founder of the private equity firm MBK Partners and is known to maintain networks with key figures from Wall Street, including Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury and a senior aide in the Trump administration.
Earlier, in May, Chairman Kim also drew attention for his connections with high-ranking U.S. officials. John Waldron, COO of Goldman Sachs, who is rumored to be a candidate for the next CEO, held a private meeting during his visit to South Korea with Chairman Kim, Lee Chang-yong, governor of the Bank of Korea, and Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics. In the same month, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who visited Korea, was also reported to have met with Chairman Kim Byung-joo.