South Korean President Moon Jae-in invited 130 business leaders to the Blue House Tuesday at a time soured business sentiment and bleak job conditions are dampening growth prospects and shaking confidence in the administration.

Moon hosted a similar gathering last week for small businesses and venture startups.

Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry rounded up the roster, choosing the country’s top 25 conglomerates by asset size and small and midsized enterprises from each sector.

Leaders of Korea’s top five conglomerates – Samsung Electronics Vice Chair Jay Y. Lee, Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chair Chung Eui-sun, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin – all showed up.

Posco’s Choi Jeong-woo, GS Group’s Huh Chang-soo and Hanwha Group’s Kim Seung-yeon also attended the meeting.

Chiefs from small and midsize businesses include Halla Group Chairman Chung Mong-won, Hanon Systems CEO Son Jeong-won, SM Group Chairman Woo Oh-heun, Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk and NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin.

Hanjin, Booyoung and Daelim were excluded from the list this year due to their involvement in a string of scandals. Hanjin’s Cho family faces numerous charges of smuggling and abuse of power, while the heir apparent of Daelim Industrial was accused of habitually insulting and assaulting his driver. Booyoung’s chief received a five-year jail term last November for embezzlement.

By Park Yong-beom and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]