Trump paid $2.6m by South Korean company facing trade investigation

WASHINGTON – The lead investor in a South Korean aluminium company that has challenged Commerce Department penalties on certain exports from South Korea to the United States made a US$2 million (S$2.6 million) payment in 2025 to President Donald Trump’s holding company.The payment by the parent company, Base Group, was revealed for the first time in Trump’s annual financial disclosure form released in late June.The document offered only a cryptic explanation for the payment, stating that it was part of a “letter of intent” and a “non-refundable development fee”. In statements to The New York Times, the company and the Trump family said the payment relates to a still-unannounced golf course project.Base Group has spent nearly a decade courting the Trump family, exclusively selling Trump-bra