Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, returned to Korea on the 15th after finishing his business trip to the United States. It has been 17 days since he departed for Washington from Gimpo International Airport on the 29th of last month.
On the day of his return, Lee arrived at Incheon International Airport after midnight. When asked by reporters about his impressions of the trip, he replied, "I came to prepare for next year's business," before leaving the scene.
During the trip, Lee was reportedly seen meeting with local big tech companies and global executives to explore new business opportunities and strengthen the global network.
Analysis suggests there were follow-up discussions related to the historic 23 trillion won foundry supply contract signed with Tesla the day before his departure, which involves producing Tesla's next-generation AI chip, AI6, at the Taylor plant in Texas.
While Lee was in the United States, news emerged that Samsung Electronics would produce Apple's next-generation chips at its foundry plant in Austin, Texas.
On the 31st of last month, while Lee was in the U.S., negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. that set the reciprocal tariff on Korea at 15% were concluded. Lee was said to have mobilized his company's network and advocated semiconductor supply chain cooperation to support this negotiation.