NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Hwang answers questions during a press conference during the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea on October 31, 2025.
Cho Woo Hye | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Nvidia CEO Jensen Hwang may not be a member of K-pop band BTS, but the interest in his visit to South Korea has reached the level expected of a global celebrity.
A website called “Jensen Hwang’s Footsteps” in Korean provides a map and timeline of his expected stops and meetings during his four-day visit starting Friday. A smoky Korean barbecue meal and soju drinking party are planned. The fans will be appearing on “You Quiz on the Block,” one of the most popular variety shows in the country, and will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears baseball game.
His fun isn’t the only thing on the agenda. Nvidia is looking to deepen its ties with South Korea as its technology supply chain comes into focus in light of the Iran war and as the company faces rising regulatory hurdles selling into the mainland Chinese market. A successful visit by a reputed CEO could be very helpful to the company’s fortunes in this country.
“South Korea is an important part of our ecosystem,” Hwang told reporters at a dinner with South Korean technology executives on the opening day of the annual Computex trade show in Taipei.
If you look closely, you will notice that Koreans are also paying attention to the business side. The Footprints website attracts more than 80,000 visitors and shows stock price trends for companies often associated with Nvidia. Potential dining partners include tech giants such as SK Group’s Choi Tae-won, LG Group’s Koo Kwang-mo and Naver’s Lee Hye-jin.
The chairman of the Doosan conglomerate, which owns the Bears, is scheduled to participate as a batter at the baseball game.
CNBC compiled details of the planned meeting and meal based on reports from Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest newspaper by circulation, and other sources. The team announced the baseball game that Hwang will attend, and the TV station confirmed that Hwang will appear on a variety show in the future.
Despite excitement over Hwang’s visit, shares of the South Korean chipmaker fell on Friday after U.S. chip stocks fell overnight following Broadcom’s lackluster earnings report. Samsung Electronics, a major index player, fell 3.98%, and SK Hynix fell 7.22%.
Ahead of Hwang’s arrival, stocks related to pork belly and Korean soju are mixed.
Agricultural products giant Farmsco rose 2.85%, conglomerate CJ CheilJedang fell 0.60%, while alcoholic beverage companies Hite Jinro and Lotte Chilsung fell 3.44% and 0.19%, respectively.
