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Gov't, S. Korean biz community in final prep to host global tycoons at APEC

Published: 21 Sep. 2025, 13:58

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong, right, meets with Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang during a roundtable meeting with Korean and U.S. business leaders at a Washington hotel in Washington on Aug. 25. [YONHAP]

The government and the Korean business community are making a final push to invite global tycoons to business events to take place on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, industry sources said Sunday.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the APEC CEO Summit will take place from Oct. 28 to 31 in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, bringing together 1,700 participants from APEC member economies and global companies.

Market watchers are paying close attention to the possible attendance of Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of global chip giant Nvidia Corp., after sources said he reacted positively to an invitation delivered by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who also heads the KCCI.

Another industry source said Huang is expected to hold a special session on Oct. 31 when a separate event on the artificial intelligence industry will take place.

If Huang visits Korea next month, he could also meet APEC member leaders and possibly visit the production lines of Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc.

Nvidia, a leading player in the AI chip industry, has emerged as a key partner for major countries and businesses amid the AI boom.

Other business leaders who may visit Korea for the APEC-related events include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company operates one of the world's most popular generative AI models, ChatGPT, and launched its Seoul office this month.

OpenAI Korea is the firm's 12th office worldwide and its third in Asia.

Korea is also making efforts to host Chinese business leaders, including Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu, as Beijing is set to host the APEC meeting next year.

Yonhap