# Why Jensen Huang is going on a charm offensive in South Korea > Source: > Published: 2026-06-05 06:15:57+00:00 [Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's](https://www.businessinsider.com/mrvl-marvell-stock-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-dell-quantum-ai-2026-6) travel itinerary is becoming a guide to the biggest winners in AI. His latest stop: South Korea. The Nvidia chief was expected to arrive in Seoul on Friday for his second visit in seven months, a sign of how central the country has become to the AI boom. The celebrity-style schedule follows Huang's appearance at Computex in Taiwan, the global hub of advanced chip manufacturing. It also reflects a growing reality for Nvidia. "Nvidia's dependence on Korea has deepened," Jeff Kim, an analyst at KB Securities, wrote in a note this week. As one of the world's largest producers of memory chips, South Korea has emerged as a major beneficiary of the AI boom. In May, the country's semiconductor exports surged nearly 170% to a record high, helping drive South Korea's strongest export growth in more than four decades. The country's chip champions have also helped fuel a red-hot stock-market rally. South Korea's benchmark Kospi stock index has nearly doubled this year, while [ Samsung Electronics](https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-stock-market-samsung-1-trillion-club-ai-boom-2026-5) and [each topped $1 trillion in market value last month on the AI rush.](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-memory-chip-boom-next-trillion-dollar-company-sk-hynix-2026-5) __SK Hynix__But Huang's trip to South Korea isn't just about memory chips. At Computex earlier this week, Huang highlighted robotics as a major area for future cooperation with South Korea. As Nvidia increasingly looks for manufacturing partners that can help commercialize AI applications, "Korea, which has developed large-scale manufacturing infrastructure, is emerging as an ideal testbed," wrote Kim. Huang's latest trip will be closely watched by investors. A website tracking his expected itinerary in South Korea has already attracted over 90,000 views as of Friday afternoon, local time. Earlier this week, [shares of LG Electronics](https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-jensen-huang-ai-trade-south-korea-samsung-lg-rally-2026-6) and Samsung Electronics jumped on reports that the Nvidia chief was headed to South Korea. During his last trip to Seoul in October, Huang was photographed eating [fried chicken and beer](https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-jensen-huang-nvidia-fried-chicken-samsung-hyundai-crowd-fame-2025-10) with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Chung Euisun. The meeting generated a wave of media coverage and helped send shares of several Korean fried chicken chains soaring by as much as 30%.