LG Group shares surge as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang prepares Korea visit

Shares across LG Group are surging ahead of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea, as the prospect of a meeting with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo puts a fresh spotlight on the conglomerate's growth potential in AI and robotics.

LG Electronics jumped 24.06 percent to 363,500 won (about $242) as of 9:55 a.m., according to Korea Exchange data. Other group affiliates moved sharply higher at the same time — LG Electronics preferred shares rose 21.94 percent, LG CNS gained 22.14 percent, LG HelloVision climbed 19.09 percent, LG Corp advanced 15.55 percent and LG Corp preferred shares added 12.06 percent.

Analysts attributed much of the move to institutional buying. Investment trusts, which manage pooled fund assets, net purchased 18.225 billion won (about $12.1 million) worth of LG Electronics shares that day. That followed net purchases of 23.6 billion won (about $15.7 million) on May 29, bringing the two-day total to more than 40 billion won (about $26.6 million).

Markets are closely watching the possibility of a meeting between Huang and Chairman Koo. Huang is scheduled to visit South Korea after attending Nvidia's annual developer conference, GTC Taipei 2026, which opened that day, and is expected to meet Koo on June 5 to discuss cooperation in physical AI. Analysts say the prospect of a partnership with Nvidia is boosting investor sentiment, given that LG Electronics has been building out robotics, smart factories and industrial AI as core future growth engines.

Securities analysts say LG Group is entering a valuation re-rating phase, driven by its growth prospects in AI and robotics. Kiwoom Securities raised its target price for LG Corp to 200,000 won (about $133) from 115,000 won (about $77), citing an expansion in net asset value as key subsidiaries' share prices climbed and the likelihood that the value of the group's AI and robotics businesses will be reflected in its valuation.

"The share prices of group affiliates have been rising as growth prospects in new businesses such as AI and robotics have come into focus," said An Young-jun, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities. "LG Corp, as the holding company, can expect not only to benefit from rising subsidiary valuations but also to gain directly as the group's capabilities in new businesses gain recognition."

EXAONE, the large-scale AI model developed by LG AI Research, is also cited as a re-rating catalyst. Analysts say LG's AI technology competitiveness could come back into the spotlight ahead of the second round of the government's national AI model evaluation, scheduled for August.