SK chairman’s son-in-law joins Iran strike

Kevin Hwang, 35, son-in-law of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, reportedly took part in the U.S. military operation targeting nuclear facilities in Iran as a member of a special operations unit under U.S. Central Command (CSOJTF-C) stationed in the Middle East.

On June 25, sources in the business community said that Hwang revealed details on LinkedIn, writing, “I thought being stationed at the Joint Task Force HQ in the Middle East would be more relaxed than Ukraine or the Indo-Pacific Command, but I never imagined all this would happen in just six months.” He added, “In that time, the Assad regime collapsed, the Houthi rebels surrendered to our airstrikes, and we participated in bombing mainland Iran alongside Israel.”

His post indicates that he was involved in the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria in December last year, the ousting of Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month, and the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities carried out with B-2 bombers on June 22.

Hwang also stated, “I was promoted to lieutenant commander and received a commendation medal,” adding that he secured $550,000 in startup investment even during Iran’s missile attacks.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hwang has been serving in the U.S. Marine Corps since November last year. It is presumed he was deployed shortly after his wedding to Chey’s second daughter, Min-jung, 34, in October. A Chinese American, Hwang holds degrees from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford and previously ran a startup in the U.S. He joined the Marines in 2016 as an officer, served as a captain, and transitioned to the reserves in 2021. It is not uncommon for U.S. reservists to return to active duty.


Jong-Min Park blick@donga.com