(Gyeongju = Yonhap News) Special Reporting Team = President Lee Jae-myung and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met in Gyeongju, the host city of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, on the 31st and discussed cooperation plans in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

In this meeting held at the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center, President Lee expressed his full support for Nvidia's investment in Korea, and Jensen Huang responded by saying he would expand the scope of exchanges with domestic companies.

Business leaders including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and Naver Board Chairman Lee Hae-jin also attended the event and exchanged opinions on a specific blueprint for collaboration with Nvidia.

First, in his opening remarks, the president said,"Recently, global companies like OpenAI have decided to join a project to make Korea an AI hub in the Asia-Pacific region. I hope Nvidia will join as well," and promised,"The government will provide full support for the investment."

The president said,"South Korea is striving to develop technology and expand infrastructure, with the national vision of becoming one of the 'Top 3 AI Powerhouses' and an 'AI Basic Society.'" He added,"The collaboration between Nvidia and Korean companies will serve as a prime example of global cooperation."

He said,"Korea is a test bed that will be the first to open the AI era," and asked,"I hope Nvidia will play a role in helping Korea leap forward as a global AI powerhouse."

In particular, he explained,"Korea has a 'full stack' (all-stage process) competitiveness in AI. I am confident that (NVIDIA's investment) will succeed without fail."

He also highlighted Korea's competitiveness, saying,"Just as Korean culture, including K-pop, has inspired other countries, the most important things in the AI era are culture and democracy."

Jensen Huang responded by saying,"NVIDIA will join us on this journey of developing Korea's AI industry," and "We will actively expand practical cooperation with domestic companies in various aspects, including physical AI such as building AI infrastructure, fostering talent and startups, and autonomous robots."

He said,"The U.S. is strong in software but weak in manufacturing, and Europe is strong in manufacturing but weak in software, but Korea has both capabilities," and evaluated that Korea has infinite potential to become a leader in the AI field ("Sky is the limit").

Jensen Huang also expressed his affection for Korea, saying,"It was South Korea that made today's Nvidia. It's like I grew up with South Korea."

Domestic businesspeople also spoke out.

First, Chairman Lee Jae-yong said,"As the President has emphasized, I will do my best, and Samsung will do its best, to make Korea a leading power in the global paradigm."

He continued,"Samsung plans to expand cooperation to various fields, including Nvidia's generative AI, (manufacturing AI platform) Omniverse, semiconductors, AI factories, robotics, and AI-RAN networks."

Chairman Choi Tae-won said,"SK has a long-standing relationship with NVIDIA and is continuously working to advance AI as a top partner."

He also suggested,"I would be very grateful if you could expand support so that not only large corporations but also startups can lead the AI field."

Chairman Jeong Ui-seon said,"I expect the government to provide administrative and policy support as it aims to become a global AI powerhouse," and promised,"We will support small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and academia, and cultivate high-level human resources to contribute to the activation of physical AI."

Finally, Chairman Lee Hae-jin predicted,"Just as there are many cultural assets in the thousand-year-old city of Gyeongju, data from each country will become extremely important cultural heritages in 500 to 1,000 years."

He continued,"We will not only develop our own AI, but also work with Nvidia to expand cooperation in Thailand and the Middle East."

In this regard, Jensen Huang expressed his opinion that"if Korea's strong system and service infrastructure are linked with the Southeast Asian region, it will be possible for Korea to establish itself as Asia's 'AI hub.'"