President Lee Jae Myung conducts sales diplomacy in the U.S., holds back-to-back meetings with Big Tech CEOs including Jensen Huang

[Financial News, San Francisco (U.S.) = Reporter Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae Myung arrived in San Francisco, his first destination, on the 24th (local time) as he began an 11-day trip to the United States and South America. For his first schedule in San Francisco, he met with Big Tech CEOs and asked them to expand investment in the Korean market.
At a hotel in San Francisco that day, President Lee met in succession with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan.
President Lee said, "I think I briefly saw you before at a luncheon in France, but I did not have a chance to speak with you personally then. It is a pleasure to meet someone so well known around the world."
He added, "You are also very well known in the Republic of Korea, and because the Republic of Korea plans to significantly expand investment in artificial intelligence, we look forward to Anthropic's special attention, investment, and contribution."
CEO Amodei responded to President Lee's request. He said, "We are grateful that the government of the Republic of Korea has identified artificial intelligence as a top priority, and I believe we can cooperate in many areas."
He continued, "Anthropic also places the highest priority on working with companies. As a business-focused company, we are already working with Korean companies in many areas, and our expectations are very high." He added, "Korean media recently identified Anthropic as the company with the highest revenue among companies in Korea, and I would like to thank you for that. At the national level, I think the Republic of Korea is carrying out very active efforts."
Amodei also emphasized cooperation with Korean semiconductor companies. He explained, "We are working closely with memory manufacturers. Korean memory companies have invested heavily in Anthropic, and we plan to cooperate with them in data centers and many other areas." He added, "We have also signed many memorandums of understanding on AI cooperation with the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea. Through these agreements, we will conduct testing in AI security and the cyber industry. It is truly exciting to work with Korea."
According to Kang Yoo-jung, chief spokesperson at Cheong Wa Dae, during his meeting with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, President Lee welcomed the chance to meet again after their encounter at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains last month and explained that "the Republic of Korea is pushing innovation across industry and society with AI at the center." He also introduced three major mega projects to strengthen national AI competitiveness and said he hoped OpenAI would continue to show active interest and participation as a key partner of the Republic of Korea. In particular, President Lee also asked for Sam Altman's views on how wealth should be distributed in the AI era.
Chief spokesperson Kang said that Altman explained that in the AI era, an equity-based model in which the public shares in corporate gains may be more desirable than simple cash support, and he assessed South Korea's investments in Physical AI and the energy sector, along with the three mega projects, as exemplary cases on a global scale.
President Lee then met with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and noted that "the GPU supply promised by NVIDIA at last year's APEC summit is being carried out smoothly, and Korea's mega projects are also moving forward without setbacks." He added, "We are transforming the entire country to fit AI," and said, "As we enter the 'golden age of AI,' when AI is changing daily life and industry as a whole, the government will actively support the public so they can fully benefit from the opportunities AI offers."
Jensen Huang said that "the vision of an 'AI-native country' presented by the Republic of Korea is bringing great energy and inspiration to Korean society." He also announced plans to cooperate with SK Group, Samsung Group, Naver, Hyundai Motor Company, and LG Group, as well as to establish a joint AI Research Institute with KAIST.
President Lee also met with Broadcom CEO Hock Tan and praised the company for its continued interest in and cooperation with Korea's AI ecosystem. Hock Tan said that "long-term investment in memory semiconductors, data centers, and talent is the key to AI competitiveness," and Chief Spokesperson Kang said he expressed his intention to further expand cooperation with the Republic of Korea.
Later that day, President Lee attended the San Francisco AI Summit and unveiled the "San Francisco AI Declaration," which lays out South Korea's new vision for the AI era.
The event was attended by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and Naver Chairperson Lee Hae-jin. It also drew major attention because global Big Tech leaders, including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, were present. The combined value of the companies represented at the event exceeds 20 quadrillion won.
President Lee first said, "The Republic of Korea will emerge as a key country in an irreplaceable global AI supply chain." He added, "Based on our world-class competitiveness and production capacity in memory semiconductors, we will become a trusted production base for AI semiconductors and a supply chain partner."
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter