SEOUL, July 29 (Reuters) -

The chairman of South Korea's Samsung Electronics

Jay Y. Lee departed on Tuesday to Washington for a

business trip, a company spokesperson said, a day after

unveiling a $16.5 billion deal to supply chips made in Texas to

Tesla.

The Yonhap News Agency said in a report Lee was

expected to support ongoing trade talks between South Korea and

the United States during his trip.

South Korea's presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung

said she was not aware of Lee's trip and could not provide

further comment on matters related to a private company.

Top South Korean government officials are converging on

Washington in a push to clinch a trade deal ahead of an August 1

deadline to remove or reduce tariffs threatened by U.S.

President Donald Trump against the country's key industrial

exports.

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Tuesday he would

seek a mutually beneficial trade deal when he meets U.S.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for talks this week, while

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State

Marco Rubio.