Nvidia CEO's Seoul trip signals shift from chip buyer to physical-AI partner SEOUL, June 5 (AJP) - When Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang stepped off his plane at Gimpo International Airport on Friday and made an esports cafe his first stop, the image was familiar: the chip merchant returning to the gaming culture that built him. The substance of this visit, however, points somewhere far off. This trip is less about who buys Nvidia's graphics cards than about who can help the company teach machines to act in the physical world. South Korea, a manufacturing power with chips, robots and factories in equal measure, is being recast from customer to co-developer. The pivot has a clear starting line. At the APEC summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju last October, Huang unveiled a plan to deploy more than 260,000 Nvidia GPUs across South Korea, with Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Naver each building artificial intelligence (AI)-dedicated factories to anchor the rollout. That announcement seeded the infrastructure. The current visit is about putting it to work, turning raw computing capacity into trained systems that can drive cars, run assembly lines and move robots through real space. The distinction matters because physical AI is where the next phase of the industry is being fought. Cloud-based chatbots run on data centers alone, but robots and self-driving cars must perceive, decide and act in a messy physical world, and the companies that can supply both the hardware and the real-world testing grounds stand to capture the value. Few countries pair those strengths as tightly as Korea. "Hyundai Motor has already said it would put Atlas to work on its factory floors. Korean firms are increasingly stressing automation through physical AI, embedding it in cars and then in humanoids," said Dr. Bum-jae You, principal research scientist and former head of humanoid development at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. Nowhere is that clearer than at LG. Huang is expected to meet LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo today, in talks centered squarely on physical AI, and the market has taken notice: shares of LG Electronics have more than tripled this year, hitting their daily limit twice on hopes of a deeper Nvidia tie-up. "LG isn't widely known for this outside the company, but internally it has been working on a mobile-controlled, two-armed home robot," said You. "Because it is a machine that could work in both factories and homes, it could stand out all the more as physical AI." LG Electronics has spent the past year pushing aggressively into the field, anchoring its effort on the AI home robot it calls CLOiD while developing actuators, robot sensing and smart-factory systems. It already runs Nvidia's Omniverse platform to build digital simulations of its own production lines. Those simulations are the heart of physical AI. Before a robot lifts a part or a car merges into traffic, it rehearses inside a lifelike digital twin, repeating the task through reinforcement learning across millions of virtual trials until the behavior holds up in reality. The conversation reaches well beyond a single company. Analysts expect cooperation to broaden across LG affiliates, drawing in the EXAONE generative model from LG AI Research, the semiconductor substrates and sensing technology of LG Innotek, and the AI cloud business of LG Uplus. The visit also lands as Nvidia pushes into telecommunications, an arena some see as the connective tissue of physical AI. The chipmaker has been expanding an artificial intelligence—radio access network (AI-RAN) alliance with Nokia, a move expected to weigh on the choice of suppliers in Korea. "With Huang's visit, interest in AI-RAN is rising, as Nvidia focuses on expanding the business alongside data centers," said Kim Hong-sik, an analyst at Hana Securities. "The likely shape is a contest between a GPU-based Nvidia-Nokia camp and an Ericsson-Samsung approach built on CPUs with network solutions. More than market share, investors will watch how AI-RAN reshapes the equipment ecosystem, since it is likely to expand alongside the move to 5G standalone and 6G, completing the picture of physical AI." South Korea's other giants slot into the same logic. SK Group and Samsung Electronics supply the high-bandwidth memory that feeds AI accelerators and are building digital twins of their own chip lines, while Naver is converting a GPU supply deal into a deeper technology alliance. That last shift is telling. Naver Cloud said this week it would broaden its Nvidia relationship into a strategic alliance spanning AI infrastructure, models, services and physical AI, moving beyond a simple procurement arrangement. "Our partnership with Nvidia goes beyond a simple GPU supplier-and-customer relationship," Naver Cloud CEO Kim Yu-won said. "It is a strategic decision to develop AI technology together and expand the global AI ecosystem." Yet experts say Naver may be looking further ahead than simply becoming one of the country's top AI service providers. "Naver doesn't build physical robots, but its framework technology for orchestrating and operating fleets of robots is said to be quite advanced," said You. "Beyond AI data centers, there could well be talk of expanding into robot-framework services." Even the gaming meetings that frame the trip belong to this thread rather than to nostalgia. Game studios have spent two decades building convincing virtual worlds, exactly the synthetic environments now prized as training grounds for physical AI. Krafton this year launched Ludo Robotics, a humanoid venture, and has woven Nvidia's ACE character technology into its PUBG and inZOI titles. NC, long a gaming partner of Nvidia, now develops a "world model" through its NC AI unit that teaches robots the laws of physics. The esports stop fits too. Korea turned competitive gaming into a national spectacle from the StarCraft era onward, an appetite that drove demand for graphics hardware and helped seed the computing culture Nvidia rode to dominance, and whose data-rich virtual arenas echo the simulations AI now learns from. In the evening, Huang is set to share grilled pork belly and soju with corporate heads including SK, LG and Naver at a restaurant near Hongik University, a sequel to last year's "chimaek" gathering over chicken and beer. The menu invites easy comparison with that earlier dinner, where the agenda does not: the chicken-and-beer night sealed Korea's role as a supplier of chips and memory, today’s is meant to bind the country into the harder, more lucrative business of making machines that think and move. 2026-06-05 14:33:36

Jensen Huang and Chung Eui-sun Prepare for Second Meeting on Autonomous Vehicles and Robotics Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, is visiting South Korea, and Hyundai Motor Group is closely monitoring the situation as they anticipate a second meeting with Huang. Most of Hyundai's future business ventures, including autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots, and artificial intelligence (AI), are closely linked to NVIDIA's technology, which could have significant implications if a meeting occurs. According to industry sources, Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, is not expected to attend the upcoming meeting with Huang, which will include SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at a barbecue restaurant near Hongdae in Seoul on June 5. However, industry insiders predict that Huang will likely meet with Chung at Hyundai's headquarters in Yangjae after visiting the AI research center and robotics lab at Seoul National University on June 8. If this meeting takes place, it would mark the second encounter since their initial meeting last year. The relationship between Chung and Huang dates back to the APEC summit last year when Huang visited South Korea. During that visit, he solidified their partnership over a meal of chicken and beer at Kkanbu Chicken in Samsung-dong, Seoul, alongside Lee Jae-yong. Since the so-called "Kkanbu meeting," industry experts have noted that collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and NVIDIA has accelerated. This partnership led to Hyundai receiving 50,000 Blackwell GPUs, which are AI accelerators. Hyundai is leveraging Blackwell to drive innovations in autonomous vehicles, AI data centers, and robotics. Among Hyundai's future projects, autonomous driving technology is the most closely tied to NVIDIA. The company is developing a universal platform capable of supporting autonomous driving from Level 2+ to Level 4, based on NVIDIA's Drive Hyperion platform. To facilitate this, Hyundai appointed Park Min-woo, a former NVIDIA executive, as the head of its AVP division. Last month, the company also hired Lee Hee-seok, another former NVIDIA employee, to expedite the commercialization of autonomous driving technology. Hyundai's robotics initiatives are also expected to benefit directly from this collaboration. Its subsidiary, Boston Dynamics, is equipping its humanoid robot, Atlas, with NVIDIA's Jetson Thor, a dedicated AI computing platform for robots. The two companies are also developing a robotics foundation model that enables robots to understand and mimic human language and actions without programming. A Hyundai representative stated, "We are closely watching the news of Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea," but added, "It has not yet been decided whether a meeting between the two chairmen will take place."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:33:00

South Korea Expects Constructive Role from China Ahead of Xi Jinping's Visit to North Korea The South Korean government expressed hope on June 5 that Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to North Korea will play a constructive role in regional stability. A Blue House official stated in response to inquiries, "The government is closely monitoring related developments and expects China to take a constructive role regarding issues on the Korean Peninsula." The official added, "We hope that exchanges between North Korea and China will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and we are maintaining close communication with China through diplomatic channels regarding these matters." A Unification Ministry official remarked, "Our policy for peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula supports dialogue and seeks to avoid confrontation. We hope President Xi's visit will advance peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and, by extension, in Northeast Asia." Earlier, a spokesperson for the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China announced that Xi would visit North Korea from June 8 to 9 at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission. This visit marks Xi's second trip to North Korea since Kim's rise to power and the first since June 2019. It comes approximately nine months after Kim's visit to Beijing in September of last year to attend the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:33:00

Hyundai's Euisun Chung to Meet Nvidia's Jensen Huang Separately on June 8 Euisun Chung, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, will not attend a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, known as the "Samso (pork belly and soju) meeting," but is expected to meet Huang separately at Hyundai's headquarters on June 8. According to Yonhap News, Huang is scheduled to visit Hyundai's office in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, where Chung will personally welcome him to discuss collaboration opportunities. Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia have been expanding their partnership in the fields of physical AI and robotics. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last year to enhance domestic physical AI capabilities, committing to invest $30 billion to establish an Nvidia AI technology center and a Hyundai physical AI application center. Collaboration is also ongoing in Hyundai's development of humanoid robots. The company is working with Nvidia to advance the capabilities of its humanoid robot, Atlas, developed by its subsidiary Boston Dynamics. However, Chung will not attend the dinner with Huang and other South Korean business leaders at a pork belly restaurant near Hongdae, reportedly due to a scheduling conflict. The dinner was expected to include prominent business figures such as Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, chairman of Naver. Although Chung's attendance was initially considered, he ultimately decided not to participate. Chung had previously met with Huang in October 2022, along with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-Yong, at a chicken restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul. That meeting garnered significant attention and was referred to as the "Kkanbu meeting." Meanwhile, Lee Jae-Yong is also reported to be unable to attend the upcoming dinner due to overseas commitments.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:33:00

National Tax Service Chief Im Kwang-hyun Calls Delinquency Management Team a Key Project Im Kwang-hyun, the head of the National Tax Service, visited the Central Regional Tax Office on June 4 to assess preparations for the nationwide expansion of the delinquency management team, set to launch in July. He described the team as a "key project that achieves multiple goals, including tax justice, securing finances, and identifying welfare recipients." The National Tax Service reported that during his visit, Im checked the operational status of the delinquency management team and encouraged field staff. This visit aimed to gather feedback and confirm readiness ahead of the team's expansion. Im praised the Central Regional Tax Office for leading the nation in the number of delinquency confirmations and high levels of tax payment despite its vast jurisdiction. He shared pizza with the staff, listening to their concerns and suggestions. Field staff presented various examples of the team's activities. One staff member shared an experience of counseling a delinquent taxpayer who was a former business partner, while another recounted cleaning a delinquent's home filled with trash and connecting the individual with welfare services. Additionally, a case was highlighted where a delinquent taxpayer was suspected of hiding assets under relatives' names while using luxury furniture and massage chairs. Im emphasized the importance of the delinquency management team's role, stating, "This is a core project that has a five-fold impact, including achieving tax justice, securing finances, creating productive jobs, and identifying welfare recipients. Let's demonstrate clear results in the field so that citizens can feel the ongoing necessity of this initiative." Following this, Im visited the Dong-an Yang Tax Office to check on preparations for the delinquency management team, which will begin operations in all tax offices nationwide in July. He inspected the offices and facilities for newly hired temporary workers, urging them to ensure a comfortable and safe working environment across the country.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:27:00

Japanese Court Convicts Man for AI-Generated Child Exploitation Images Japan's Nagoya District Court has convicted a former elementary school teacher for creating sexual images of children using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The court ruled that even AI-generated composites can be classified as child exploitation material if they appear to be based on real children. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, on June 4, the court sentenced Shota Mizuto to three and a half years in prison. Mizuto was charged with sharing illegal images of girls in a group chat with other teachers and possessing AI-altered sexual images of children. The key issue was whether the AI-generated images constituted child exploitation material. Some of the images Mizuto stored were altered photographs of actual girls, transformed into sexualized images by AI. The court determined that these images could be perceived by the average person as being based on real children, thus qualifying as child exploitation material. This ruling does not imply that all AI-generated sexual images of children will be prosecuted. The court emphasized that the composites were based on actual photographs of children. If an image is linked to a real child, it can be seen as a violation of the rights of the victim, even if it is not a direct photograph. In Japan, there has been ongoing debate about whether sexual images created by generative AI fall under existing child pornography regulations. The current legal framework is predicated on the protection of real children, making the connection of AI images to specific children a central issue. This ruling is expected to intensify discussions on regulating AI-generated sexual deepfakes in Japan. As generative AI becomes more prevalent, the increase in composite images that are not direct photographs raises questions about the legal responsibilities associated with AI-altered content based on real individuals.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:27:00

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Visits South Korea, Highlights Robotics Investment Opportunities Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, returned to South Korea after seven months, stating that the country has many important clients and that he is planning significant collaborations with local partners.Huang arrived at Gimpo Airport around 1:30 PM on June 5 and spoke with reporters outside the airport, emphasizing the importance of the South Korean market. He noted, "Our partners in Korea are doing very well, and last year's performance was excellent. We are currently engaged in many projects, and next year is expected to be a major market, which is why I am here to strengthen our partnerships."He added, "We are building critical AI infrastructure, including DRAM and HBM (high-bandwidth memory) chips, and we are very busy launching our Vera Rubin products."Regarding his schedule in South Korea, Huang mentioned, "I have a very packed agenda, and I expect to meet with various companies, including Hyundai, LG, SK, Samsung, and Naver." He also hinted, "I have brought some exciting news with me."Huang expressed his enthusiasm for a planned dinner featuring Korean barbecue, saying, "I really enjoy Korean barbecue. Fried chicken and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) are also delicious."On the topic of recent developments in PC chip production, he remarked, "PCs have evolved significantly over the past 40 years, and now AI agent systems are going to be integrated into PCs. I find this very interesting."Huang praised South Korea's manufacturing and robotics capabilities, stating, "NVIDIA has an R&D center in Korea, which is an excellent place with skilled professionals in AI and robotics. There are various opportunities here, including manufacturing capabilities and semiconductor technology." He added, "We are already employing many people in Korea."He concluded by stating, "There are many areas to invest in Korea, with robotics being the next major field. The combination of Korea's excellent manufacturing capabilities, along with semiconductors and AI, presents many opportunities in the robotics sector." 2026-06-05 14:27:00

South Koreans travel more abroad in Q1 while online shopping spending drops SEOUL, June 5 (AJP) - South Koreans' overseas card spending topped US$6 billion in the first months of this year, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said on Friday. Their total overseas card spending stood at US$6.1 billion in the first quarter, almost the same as $6.11 billion in the previous quarter but up 14.2 percent from a year earlier. Although the number of South Koreans traveling abroad increased over the period, spending remained almost unchanged, according to the BOK. Purchases through overseas online shopping malls fell to $1.35 billion from $1.55 billion, while the number of South Korean departures rose to 8.33 million from 7.89 million. Card spending by foreigners in South Korea totaled $3.57 billion in the first quarter, down 5.4 percent from the previous quarter but up 30.2 percent from a year earlier. Foreign tourist arrivals to South Korea hit a first-quarter record of 4.76 million, but spending fell from the previous quarter. 2026-06-05 14:26:36

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Visits Korea, Promises Surprise Gift Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, visited South Korea on June 5, stating, "I have brought a lot of business for Korea" and hinted at a surprise gift. According to Yonhap News, Huang arrived at Gimpo International Airport in the afternoon and told reporters, "There is a surprise gift prepared for Korea," but he declined to specify when it would be revealed, joking, "If I tell you, it wouldn’t be a surprise." This marks Huang's first visit to Korea in about seven months, following his last trip in October. He expressed his desire to thank all partners and clients in Korea, saying, "We are doing very important work, and the AI development is accelerating." Huang noted, "We achieved significant results last year, and the Korean market is doing very well. The second half of this year will be much larger than the first half, and next year will be a very big year." During his stay, Huang is expected to meet with leaders of major domestic companies to discuss collaboration on AI semiconductors, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), physical AI, robotics, and AI infrastructure. As NVIDIA expands its business beyond AI semiconductors into data centers, robotics, and autonomous driving, the scope of collaboration with South Korean companies is anticipated to broaden. When asked if he planned to enjoy Korean barbecue that evening, Huang replied, "I really love Korean barbecue. I also really like chicken, and samgyetang is the best. Everything is delicious." 2026-06-05 14:18:00

PharmaResearch Strengthens Medical Aesthetic Market with Rejuran PharmaResearch is solidifying its position in the medical aesthetic market with its skin booster, Rejuran. This injectable product utilizes polynucleotide (PN) derived from salmon reproductive cells. As demand for skin regeneration procedures remains steady, the company is combining its clinic-based repeat treatment structure with its cosmetics business to sustain growth. According to industry reports, PharmaResearch recorded a consolidated revenue of 146.1 billion won and an operating profit of 57.3 billion won in the first quarter of this year. These figures represent increases of 25% and 28%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Analysts attribute this growth to rising domestic demand for medical devices, expansion in the cosmetics sector, and increased global exports. Notably, export revenue in the first quarter reached 58.8 billion won, a 30% increase year-on-year. Rejuran's competitive edge lies in its revenue structure based on repeat treatments. While the treatment cycles for some products, such as Sculptra and Juvederm, typically occur once a year, Rejuran sees demand for treatments more than twice a year. This consistency allows clinics to maintain a steady influx of returning patients, making it a staple in their treatment portfolios. As the medical aesthetic market continues to grow, competition in South Korea is intensifying. With sustained demand and increasing interest in Korean beauty medical services, the market is expanding. Kim Hyun-seok, a researcher at Hyundai Motor Securities, noted that concerns are rising regarding PharmaResearch's market dominance due to the launch of extracellular matrix (ECM) skin booster products by domestic competitors and aggressive capacity expansions. PharmaResearch is also broadening its reach in the global market. The company has seen a continued increase in medical device exports, particularly in Europe, with first-quarter exports totaling 21.1 billion won. It is strengthening its presence through global conferences and networking with medical professionals, focusing on key European countries. Additionally, PharmaResearch is extending its medical device-based brand into consumer goods, creating a structure where treatment experiences lead to cosmetic purchases. In the first quarter, cosmetics sales reached 42.2 billion won, marking a 51% increase year-on-year, the highest growth rate among all business divisions. This strategy reduces marketing cost burdens while maintaining profitability through a repeat revenue structure linked to medical device treatments. An industry insider remarked, "Korean medical aesthetic products are gaining recognition in overseas markets for their high price competitiveness relative to quality. Products like Rejuran, which secure both a clinic network and brand awareness, are likely to maintain their competitiveness in the global market."* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-06-05 14:12:00