0
President Lee Jae-myung (left), then a presidential candidate, attends a roundtable with the heads of South Korea’s five major economic organizations at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul on May 8. At right is SK Group Chairman and KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung is expected to meet with leaders of major business groups and economic organizations as early as this week.

According to industry sources on June 9, the presidential office and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) are coordinating a possible meeting between President Lee and the heads of major conglomerates and business groups on June 12 or 13. The specific schedule and attendee list have yet to be finalized.

The anticipated attendees include the chiefs of South Korea’s top five conglomerates: Lee Jae-yong (Samsung), Chey Tae-won (SK and KCCI), Chung Eui-sun (Hyundai Motor), Koo Kwang-mo (LG), and Shin Dong-bin (Lotte).

Heads of key economic organizations are also expected to join, such as Ryu Jin (Korea Enterprises Federation), Sohn Kyung-shik (Korea Employers Federation), Yoon Jin-sik (Korea International Trade Association), Kim Ki-moon (Korea Federation of SMEs), and Choi Jin-sik (Korea Federation of Mid-sized Enterprises).

President Lee is scheduled to attend the G7 summit in Canada from June 15 to 17. The meeting with business leaders is expected to serve as a pre-summit session to review both domestic and global economic conditions and listen to corporate concerns.

Given the potential for bilateral and multilateral talks with key world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, during the G7 summit, the gathering could also address strategies to counter the ongoing U.S.-led tariff conflict affecting Korean industries.

Additionally, with the Democratic Party pushing to reintroduce a bill that would codify fiduciary duties of directors to shareholders under the Commercial Act, President Lee may ask business groups to approach the legislative process cautiously.

During a previous meeting with five major economic associations on May 8, when he was still a presidential candidate, Lee remarked, “Reviving people’s livelihoods means reviving the economy, and at the center of that are businesses.”