Chung Yong-jin - Wikipedia

South Korean business executive (born 1968) In this Korean name, the family name is Chung.

Chung Yong-jin
Official portrait, 2009
Born	(1968-09-19) September 19, 1968 (age 57)Seoul, South Korea
Education	Brown University (BA)
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairperson of Shinsegae Owner of SSG Landers
Spouses	Go Hyun-jung ​ ​(m. 1995; div. 2003)​ Han Ji-hee ​(m. 2011)​
Children	4
Parents	Chung Jae-eun [ko] (father) Lee Myung-hee (mother)
Relatives	Lee Jae-yong (cousin) Lee Jay-hyun (cousin)
Korean name
Hangul	정용진
Hanja	鄭溶鎭
RR	Jeong Yongjin
MR	Chŏng Yongjin

Chung Yong-jin (Korean: 정용진; born 19 September 1968) is a South Korean business executive who is the current chairperson of Shinsegae since March 2024.

He is among the richest people in South Korea. In April 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth as US$1.25 billion and ranked him 26th richest in the country.[1] He is the grandson of National Assemblyman Chung Sang-hee and the grandson of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Byung-chul.

Early life and education

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Chung is the only son of Lee Myung-hee, chairwoman of Shinsegae Group and grandson of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul. He graduated from Kyungbock High School and gained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Brown University.[2][1]

Personal life

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Chung is the cousin of Samsung Group chairman Lee Jae-yong and CJ Group chairman Lee Jay-hyun.[3]

In 1995, he married Go Hyun-jung and they had two children: Jung Hae-chan in 1998, and Jung Hae-in in 2000. They divorced in 2003 and he gained custody of both children.[4]

In 2011, it was announced that he would marry flautist Han Ji-hee, daughter of the late former VP of Korean Air Han Sang-bum.[5]

According to The Korea Economic Daily, Chung is close to the American Donald Trump administration, especially through a personal and business connection to Donald Trump Jr.[6][7][8][9] The two are both involved in Rockbridge Network, a conservative political advocacy group aligned with Donald Trump; Chung is the group's Asia Chairman.[7] Chung has also met with Omeed Malik, another conservative American businessman and member of 1789 Capital, which Trump Jr. joined in 2024.[7][8]

Chung is Protestant and attends Onnuri Community Church.[10][11]

References

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1. ^ a b "Chung Yong-jin". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
2. ^ "The Five Richest Alumni of Brown University". Worthly. 2014-06-23. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
3. ^ "Korean billionaire fumes after Instagram removes 'crush commies' post". South China Morning Post. 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
4. ^ Tram, Ho (30 March 2022). "The Life of the Runner-up as the Bride of the Samsung Empire: Rejected Because Her Husband's Family All Spoke English, Considered It a Birthing Machine for 31 Billion and the Ending Rose like a Phoenix". itZone. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
5. ^ "Shinsegae Heir to Marry Flautist in May". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
6. ^ "Shinsegae chair likely to head Asian arm of pro-Trump Rockbridge - KED Global". KED Global. 2025-06-26. Archived from the original on 2025-07-07. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
7. ^ a b c Park, Jong-Seo (2025-11-17). "Shinsegae's Chung Yong-jin spotted meeting Donald Trump Jr. in Spain". KED Global. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
8. ^ a b Seo, Yoon-Kyung (2025-11-18). "Chung Yong-jin Spotted in Spain... His Companions Include Donald Trump Jr. and This Key Power Broker". First-Class Business Newspaper Financial News. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
9. ^ "(LEAD) Shinsegae chief invited to U.S. event welcoming Saudi crown prince". Yonhap News Agency. 2025-11-18. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
10. ^ Seok, Nam-jun; Lee, Jung-soo (2024-12-19). "Chung Yong-jin's close connections with the Trump family spark interest". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
11. ^ "A trip of three flavors (meaning, interest, fun) for Chairman Yong-jin Jeong of Shinsegae's birthday". www.newsspace.kr (in Korean). 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2025-12-10.

External links

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