The CEOs will attend the Business Summit Round Table (BSRT), a bilateral forum of business leaders.

Business circles had asked Cheong Wa Dae to let the conglomerate heads join the delegation to Japan so that the South Korean side could better match the Japanese side at the round table.

According to the Federation of Korean Industries and business circles on Thursday, Hyundai Motor chairman Chung Mong-koo, LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo, and SK chairman Chey Tae-won will now accompany President Lee to Japan. Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Yoon-woo will go on behalf of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee who is currently under special counsel probe.

Ten business representatives were on the initial list of attendants announced by Cheong Wa Dae on April 1, including Kumho Asiana chairman Park Sam-koo, Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, and Kolon chairman Lee Woong-yeul.

A senior FKI official said, "We've agreed with Keidanren, the Federation of Japanese Industries, to discuss substantial ways during the upcoming BSRT on how the two countries' enterprises can promote international cooperation amid the prevailing friendly atmosphere in bilateral relations. It's essential that the CEOs from the four largest conglomerates attend the bilateral economic forum to represent our country's business interests."

Attending the BSRT from the Japanese side will be 13 leaders of Keidanren and the Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, including Canon chairman Fujio Mitarai, Tokyo Electric Power president Tsunehisa Katsumata, Toyota Motor chairman Fujio Cho, Nippon Steel Corp. chairman Akio Mimura, Nippon Oil Corp. CEO Fumiaki Watari, and Toshiba chairman Tadashi Okamura.

The trade leaders will discuss how the two countries' businesses can further technological and capital cooperation, ways to advance jointly into third countries' markets, and how Japanese enterprises can galvanize investment in South Korea.

(englishnews@chosun.com )