SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won discussed ways to bolster economic cooperation between South Korea and the United States with a group of US senators on Tuesday in Seoul and asked them for bipartisan efforts to support Korean companies, the Korean conglomerate said Wednesday.

“SK Group has been setting up semiconductor ecosystems in both Korea and the US, and through this, we will be able to contribute to strengthening the two countries’ (artificial intelligence) leadership,” said Chey.

“SK’s energy business has also been growing at a global level. The energy business including battery is very important for not only the economy but also security.”

The US delegation comprised senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The Republicans included Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, John Thune of South Dakota, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri. The Democrats were Chris Coons of Delaware and Gary Peters of Michigan.

The US senators expressed hopes for continued cooperation between the two countries in many aspects, pointing out that the bilateral relationship has strong trust ties in every aspect such as the US-S. Korea alliance.

“The role of Korean companies including SK in regard to the advancement of the two countries, is getting bigger” they said.

“Such movements will greatly contribute to Korea and the US, as well as the joint enhancement of not only the three countries -- Korea, the US and Japan -- but the whole world, too. We will continue to support SK’s activities in the future.”

The SK chief also thanked the US Senate delegation’s efforts to help bolster Korea-US relations through consecutive visits to Korea.

“We welcome the US Senate delegation for the second time following last year’s visit,” said Chey.

“We appreciate that (US senators) are showing lots of interest in the activities of SK and Korean companies.”

Chey has continuously carried out discussions with major global leaders in the political and business sectors. The Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, which the SK chief chairs, has organized the Trans-Pacific Dialogue each year since 2021. Bringing together former and incumbent high-ranking bureaucrats, renowned scholars, think tanks and business tycoons of Korea, the US and Japan, the dialogue seeks ways to cooperate and discuss the world’s pending issues.