Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang drew celebrity-level enthusiasm as he met with top figures in South Korea's gaming industry and fans alike during his visit to Seoul.
On Saturday, the third day of his trip, Huang held a series of meetings with leading gaming executives to discuss expanding cooperation in gaming and AI. That afternoon, he visited a PC bang in Seoul, where he met with NCsoft CEO Kim Taek-jin.
Huang greeted visitors at the event and took a close look at NCsoft's upcoming title Aion 2. The atmosphere grew electric as Huang chanted Kim's initials — "TJ" — while Kim called back "Jensen" in return.
Taking the stage, Huang called out to the crowd: "Is everyone enjoying Aion 2? Who's the best?" The fans roared back in response.
"I love Aion 2," he said. "Nvidia GeForce and Korean esports have grown together."
Huang and Kim also made surprise guest appearances on a live broadcast streamed online and joined a prize giveaway event for fans.
Min Jun-hong, 31, who won an RTX 5090 GPU signed by both Huang and Kim, could barely contain his excitement. "There were rumors Jensen Huang might show up, but I never imagined I'd win something like this," he told reporters.
On Thursday, the first day of his visit, Huang stopped by a PC bang in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where he met with the players of T1, the League of Legends esports team.
On Saturday evening, Huang was set to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes-Doosan Bears game, with Doosan's foreign left-handed pitcher Zack Logue coaching him on his delivery.
The Doosan Bears said Logue would coach Huang on his pitch, while veteran team captain Yang Eui-ji would guide Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won, who was set to take the ceremonial first swing.
Huang, who has a particular fondness for baseball, was to take the mound wearing a Doosan uniform bearing the number 93 — a nod to 1993, the year Nvidia was founded. Park was set to step into the batter's box in a jersey numbered 96, representing 1896, the year Doosan was founded.
After throwing the first pitch, Huang planned to stay and watch the game.
dlcw@heraldcorp.com
