Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, attended a U.S. State Department–hosted event on cultivating talent for advanced industries and discussed cooperation plans for the artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain with U.S. political and business figures.
On the 3rd (local time), Chairman Chung attended the launch ceremony for the "Foundry School" at the Trump Institute for Peace in Washington, D.C. Chung was invited by Vice President J.D. Vance and the State Department.
The Foundry School is a manufacturing and advanced industry talent development project led by the U.S. State Department and co-designed with Stanford University. It is one of the implementation strategies of "Pax Silica," a multilateral economic security consultative body launched under U.S. leadership in December last year.
Pax Silica is a consultative body that seeks to build core technology supply chains—such as semiconductors, AI, advanced manufacturing, and energy—centered on the United States and its allies. Participants include Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The event was attended by Vice President Vance; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise; and Jacob Helberg, Vice Minister for economic affairs at the State Department. Senior corporate executives, including Dina Powell McCormick, president of Meta; Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology; and Gary Dickerson, CEO of Applied Materials, were also present.
Vice Minister Helberg met with Chairman Chung and said, "The partnership between Shinsegae Group and Reflection AI is an important milestone in Korea-U.S. cooperation in advanced industries," adding, "Chairman Chung is a reliable partner in the AI supply chain alliance."
Misha Raskin, CEO of U.S.-based Reflection AI, which is pursuing a domestic AI data center business with Shinsegae Group, also spoke as a presenter. CEO Raskin said, "The collaboration with Shinsegae Group underway under Chairman Chung's leadership is a case that shows the Korea-U.S. partnership and how the United States and its allies move together."
Shinsegae Group signed a partnership with Reflection AI in March for a large-scale domestic AI data center project. They are currently working on practical steps such as establishing a joint venture (JV) and selecting a site.
On the day, Chairman Chung met with CEO Raskin, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Majority Leader Scalise, Vice Minister Helberg, and Meta President Powell, among others, and emphasized the importance of Korea-U.S. cooperation for the success of the Pax Silica project.
Chung said, "Successfully leading an advanced industry supply chain alliance centered on the United States is the task of the times," adding, "If Korea and the United States join forces, we can create greater synergy."
He continued, "Outstanding talent is essential for the development of advanced industries represented by AI," adding, "Shinsegae Group will also attract and cultivate talent through creative innovation."