President Lee Jae Myung will meet with the CEOs of Nvidia and OpenAI in San Francisco on July 24 [2].

The meetings signal South Korea's intent to secure a leading role in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem. By engaging directly with Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Sam Altman of OpenAI, Lee aims to strengthen technological partnerships and economic ties during a critical era of AI expansion.

The visit is part of a broader 11-day diplomatic tour [1] that extends through Aug. 3 [2]. The itinerary includes visits to five nations: the U.S., Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Germany [3].

While in San Francisco, the president will focus on AI cooperation. South Korea has historically relied on its semiconductor industry to drive economic growth, and these discussions are expected to center on the hardware and software integration necessary for next-generation computing.

The diplomatic mission reflects a strategic effort to diversify South Korea's international partnerships across North America, South America, and Europe. The tour's breadth suggests a push for both high-tech collaboration and expanded trade agreements in emerging markets [3].

President Lee is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. as the first stop of this multi-nation journey. The meetings with the tech leaders are intended to facilitate a deeper exchange of expertise and investment between the South Korean government and the private sector in the U.S. [1].

“President Lee Jae Myung will meet with the CEOs of Nvidia and OpenAI in San Francisco.”

This diplomatic push indicates that South Korea views AI leadership as a matter of national security and economic survival. By coordinating with the primary providers of AI chips (Nvidia) and large language models (OpenAI), the Lee administration is attempting to ensure that South Korean hardware capabilities remain indispensable to the AI supply chain while gaining access to cutting-edge software developments.