Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Set for Four-Day South Korea Visit to Deepen AI, Robotics Ties

Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is set to arrive in South Korea as early as the evening of June 4 for a four-day visit that will span meetings across industry and academia. His itinerary includes talks with the heads of major business groups, as well as meetings with gaming companies, AI and robotics startups, and university researchers and students.

People in South Korea’s business and information-technology industries said on June 4 that Huang could enter the country later that night and begin his official schedule on June 5. Early in the trip, he may meet key partners to discuss cooperation between Nvidia and Korean companies in AI semiconductors, data centers and physical AI.

The highest-profile event is a dinner being arranged for the evening of June 5 at a pork barbecue restaurant in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood with some of South Korea’s best-known corporate leaders. Potential attendees include SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin.

The gathering is drawing attention because it would follow last year’s widely discussed “Kkanbu” dinner, when Huang met Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and Chung at a chicken restaurant in Seoul’s Gangnam district. This time, attention is on whether a “samgyeopsal” dinner will take shape.

Industry officials expect the dinner to cover topics including high-bandwidth memory, AI data centers, autonomous driving, robotics and physical AI. With Nvidia at the center of the AI chip ecosystem, cooperation with memory, automotive, telecommunications and platform companies is poised to be a central theme of the visit.

Huang is also expected to meet NCSoft Chief Executive Officer Kim Taek-jin in Seoul on June 7, people familiar with the matter said. Cooperation in gaming and AI is expected to be a key agenda item. NCSoft has continued working with Nvidia in gaming, including by showcasing Aion 2 and Cinder City at Nvidia’s GeForce Gamer Festival in Seoul during Huang’s October 2025 visit, and by joining Nvidia’s PC gaming event during Gamescom in Germany.

June 8, the expected final day of the trip, is set to focus on South Korea’s AI and robotics ecosystem. Huang is pursuing a private roundtable that morning at the Shilla Seoul with local AI and robotics startup founders, according to people familiar with the matter. Companies mentioned as possible participants include Upstage, Nota, Bespin AI and other AI and robotics startups.

His academic schedule is also being coordinated. Huang is discussing with Seoul National University a June 8 visit to the university’s AI Institute and robotics lab, people familiar with the matter said. Separately, he has conveyed interest in speaking directly with SNU students. The plan points to a desire to see South Korea’s AI talent and research environment firsthand.

Visits to major companies are also being arranged. Huang is coordinating possible stops at the headquarters of LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver, with physical AI cooperation as a key topic. Industry officials have cited LG Twin Towers in Seoul’s Yeouido district and Hyundai Motor Group’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yangjae neighborhood as possible destinations. At LG, affiliates including LG Electronics, LG Innotek, LG Uplus and LG AI Research could join the meeting.

A visit to Naver’s second headquarters, 1784, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is also emerging as a likely stop. Naver 1784 is viewed as a showcase for the company’s future technologies, including robotics, cloud services, digital twins and a dedicated 5G network. If the visit goes ahead, discussions between Naver and Nvidia could extend to AI infrastructure, robotics and data center cooperation.

Beyond his meetings with industry and academia, Huang is also said to have public appearances planned. He is expected to appear this weekend on tvN talk show You Quiz on the Block and throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. After completing his schedule, he is expected to leave the country late in the afternoon on June 8.

Oh Se-seong, Hankyung.com reporter sesung@hankyung.com