SK Chairman Chey Tae-won’s second daughter Chey Min-jung will marry Kevin Hwang, a 34-year-old Chinese-American, at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul on Oct. 13. The 33-year-old Chey gained attention in 2014 when she enlisted as a naval officer candidate, marking the first time a chaebol daughter had joined the military. She was commissioned as a lieutenant and served for six months on the South Korean Navy’s Cheonghae Unit’s Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin destroyer during a deployment to the Gulf of Aden in 2015.
The couple’s military backgrounds played a significant role in their connection. Kevin Hwang also has a diverse military career, having served in the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Forces Korea, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Their shared military experiences helped them bond quickly, leading to their engagement.
According to industry sources on Oct. 9, Hwang, a native of Indiana, graduated from Harvard University and enlisted in the Marine Corps as a commissioned officer in 2016, reaching the rank of captain. In 2021, he transitioned to the reserves while running a startup in California. U.S. reservists maintain civilian jobs while undergoing regular training and can be called to active duty as needed. A source noted that Hwang plans to leave his startup next month and return to active duty in logistics for U.S. Special Forces.
The couple reportedly first met as neighbors in Washington, D.C., in 2020. At that time, Hwang was working at the Pentagon, and Chey was employed in SK Hynix’s INTRA (International Trade & Regulatory Affairs) division. Their shared military experiences sparked a connection that deepened further when Hwang served as a logistics officer with U.S. Forces Korea for about nine months, from October 2020 to mid-2021. After transitioning to the reserves three years ago, he founded and has been operating a software startup in the U.S. Both Chairman Chey Tae-won and his ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, are expected to attend the wedding.
