Tracking website, food watch: South Korea is obsessing over Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit

The excitement surrounding Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, during his upcoming trip to South Korea is reminiscent of the fervor typically reserved for global superstars. A Korean website aptly named "Jensen Huang's Footprints" has emerged, detailing a map and timeline of his scheduled meetings and appearances over the course of his four-day visit, starting this Friday. Enthusiastic fans are eagerly anticipating culinary experiences featuring traditional Korean barbecue and social gatherings involving soju. Huang's itinerary includes a notable appearance on the popular variety show "You Quiz on the Block," alongside a ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears baseball game. This trip goes beyond mere entertainment; it represents Nvidia's strategic effort to strengthen its relationships within South Korea, especially amidst shifting tech supply chains influenced by global events, including the conflict in Iran. With regulatory challenges mounting in the Chinese market, Huang's successful engagement in South Korea could significantly impact Nvidia's business prospects in the region. During a dinner with South Korean tech leaders at the Computex trade show in Taipei, Huang emphasized the importance of Korea in Nvidia's ecosystem. The Footprints website has already attracted over 80,000 visitors, showcasing share price fluctuations of companies closely associated with Nvidia. Potential dining companions for Huang include influential figures from major tech conglomerates, such as SK Group's Chey Tae-won and LG Group's Koo Kwang-mo. Notably, the chairman of the Doosan Group, which owns the Bears, is also expected to join Huang at the baseball event. Despite the excitement surrounding Huang's visit, shares of South Korean chip manufacturers experienced declines on Friday, following a dip in U.S. chip stocks due to Broadcom's disappointing earnings report. Samsung Electronics saw a drop of 3.98%, while SK Hynix fell by 7.22%. The stock performance of companies involved in food and beverages was mixed prior to Huang's arrival, with Farmsco, a leader in agrifood, gaining 2.85%, while CJ CheilJedang fell by 0.60%. Alcoholic beverage companies like HiteJinro and Lotte Chilsung also reported minor declines of 3.44% and 0.19%, respectively.