Chung Yong-jin, chairman of South Korea’s retail giant Shinsegae Inc., is likely to head the Asian operations of the Rockbridge Network, a group of pro-Trump donors, venture capitalist and entrepreneurs that is expected to wield growing influence over policy decisions in the Trump administration.
Chung, known for his close ties to US president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr., has received an offer to chair the Silicon Valley-based donor network’s Asian arm soon to be launched, according to industry sources on Wednesday.
Trump Jr. is a member of Rockbridge, co-founded by US Vice President JD Vance.
The Shinsegae Group chairman, a second-generation leader of the retail group split from South Korea’s Samsung Group, has acted as a bridge between the Trump administration and Korean business leaders.
In April, he arranged back-to-back private meetings between Trump Jr. and top executives from major South Korean conglomerates.
Last month, Chung also joined US President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip as the sole Korean business delegate.
Founded in 2019, the Rockbridge Network is a secretive yet increasing powerful organization at the center of business, technology and Republican politics.
Its goal is to create a tech-oriented and right-of-center alliance, bringing donors, private equity leaders and CEOs together with high-level officials making the big decisions for the country, the New York Post quoted a Rockbridge insider as saying in April.
With under 200 members, it holds twice-a-year conferences for networking, investments in tech companies and political donations, according to the US media outlet. Its membership costs $100,000 per year.
Its invite-only members include Peter Theil, co-founder of US fintech company PayPal and Rebekah Mercer, a Republican donor and part of Trump’s transition team this year.
Christopher Buskirk, a contributing writer for the New York Times and chief investment officer of 1789 Capital, also co-founded the Rockbridge Network.
Buskirk accompanies Donald Trump Jr. on the April trip to Seoul and joined his meeting with Korean business leaders together. He asked South Korean companies to commit to 1789 Capital’s investment funds.
At the April conference of the Rockbridge Network, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. were among the key attendees.
Chung has served as a key link between the Trump administration and Korean business leaders amid the lack of formal diplomatic channels between Seoul and Washington following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ouster by the Constitutional Court last month.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who was sworn in early this month, has yet to hold a summit with US President Trump.
By Yeonhee Kim
yhkim@hankyung.com
