Bill Clinton in Seoul to meet with MBK's ByungJu Kim, business leaders

Michael ByungJu Kim, co-founder, partner and chairman of Seoul-based private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd., is set to meet with former US President Bill Clinton in Seoul this week.

People familiar with the matter said on Tuesday that the two will have a private meeting at Kim’s residence.

Kim, often referred to as “the Warren Buffett of Asia,” flew to Seoul on May 17 to attend the meeting, sources said.

The visit by Clinton, who served as US president from 1993 to 2001, came to light after Laura Loomer, a far-right US political commentator with close ties to President Donald Trump, mentioned the trip on her social media.

Last Saturday, Loomer wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Clinton would be holding a fundraiser in South Korea and attending a meeting at the home of the richest man in the country, Michael Kim.

MBK, which focuses on Northeast Asian investment, declined to confirm the meeting.

Earlier this year, Kim and Kyungin David Lee, UBS Global Banking Asia vice chairman, were named the two most influential figures in Korea’s capital market.

SIGHTSEEING IN CENTRAL SEOUL

Photos and videos surfaced on social media on Tuesday claiming sightings of Clinton near Gwanghwamun Square and Insadong, popular tourist destinations in central Seoul. One widely circulated photo showed the former president smiling with companions in front of the King Sejong statue, his arms around their shoulders.

During his presidency, Clinton visited South Korea in November 1998 for a summit with then-Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

Active in global initiatives through the Clinton Foundation since leaving office, the former US president has made private visits to Asia for both diplomatic and fundraising purposes.

MEETING WITH FINANCIAL EXECUTIVES

In Seoul, sources said Clinton already met with senior executives from Korea’s leading financial institutions earlier this week.

Investment banking sources said Clinton attended a closed-door seminar hosted by I Squared Capital at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on Tuesday.

The event brought together top investment officers from major Korean institutional investors, including Kang Seok-hoon, chairman of the state-run Korea Development Bank, as well as senior executives from NongHyup Bank and Hana Bank.

I Squared Capital, founded in 2012, is a Miami-based infrastructure-focused asset manager with a growing presence in Asia. Clinton is said to have joined the Seoul leg of the firm’s regional fundraising roadshow in an advisory capacity. Prior to arriving in Seoul, he reportedly visited Japan and Singapore.

Write to Eun-kyung Song at norae@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.