Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, is seen answering reporters' questions as he enters through Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the 31st, after completing his schedule accompanying the economic delegation for the ROK-U.S. summit for a week. Yonhap News.

Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, returned to Korea on the 31st after completing his schedule accompanying the economic delegation for the ROK-U.S. summit, which lasted for a week.

During his business trip, Chairman Lee focused on strengthening ROK-U.S. cooperation in areas such as shipbuilding and nuclear power, while also solidifying cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) business with key clients like NVIDIA.

Upon his return to Incheon International Airport shortly after 1 AM on the same day, Chairman Lee responded only by saying, "We must work hard," when asked about the U.S. regulations on exporting domestic equipment to Chinese factories.

When questioned about his thoughts on the business trip, his meeting with Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, and his plans for next year's business, Chairman Lee reiterated, "I will work hard."

Chairman Lee returned to Korea exactly one week after departing on the 24th as part of the economic delegation to the U.S.

On the occasion of the ROK-U.S. summit held in Washington D.C. on the 25th (local time), Samsung Group strengthened ROK-U.S. cooperation in shipbuilding and nuclear power projects.

Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, is seen answering reporters' questions as he enters through Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the 31st, after completing his schedule accompanying the economic delegation for the ROK-U.S. summit for a week. Yonhap News.

Samsung Heavy Industries signed a 'Strategic Partnership (MOU) on Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) for U.S. Navy Support Vessels' with the U.S. Vigor Marine Group.

Through this agreement, Samsung Heavy Industries will actively participate in MRO projects for the U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command, and plans to expand future cooperation to actively pursue joint construction with partner shipyards in the U.S.

Samsung C&T, along with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, expanded the scope of ROK-U.S. cooperation by signing a cooperation MOU with Fermi America for smooth project execution, including the construction of the 'AI Campus Project.'

The AI campus, being developed by Fermi America in Amarillo, Texas, is slated to include power infrastructure combining four large-scale nuclear reactors, two small modular reactors (SMRs), gas-fired combined cycle power plants, solar power, and battery energy storage systems (ESS), along with a hyperscale AI data center.

Following the summit, Chairman Lee was also seen embracing Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, at the ROK-U.S. Business Roundtable.

Kim Yong-beom, Senior Secretary to the President for Policy, stated, "There were discussions about SK and Samsung providing semiconductor chips optimized for NVIDIA's supercomputers," adding, "This reaffirmed the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the AI industry."

Chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, is seen greeting Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, at the ROK-U.S. Business Roundtable Reception held at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C., U.S. on the 25th (local time). Yonhap News.

However, specific cooperation plans in the semiconductor sector, such as additional semiconductor investments in the U.S. or the supply of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) to NVIDIA, were not disclosed as a result of this summit.

Details regarding the 100% semiconductor tariffs on imports from the U.S., as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, have also not been finalized.

Instead, four days after the summit, on the 29th (local time), the Trump administration revoked the 'Verified End User' (VEU) status for comprehensive licenses related to the supply of U.S.-made semiconductor equipment to factories of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in China.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "Even if the VEU status is revoked, we plan to continue close consultations with the U.S. government to minimize the impact on our companies."

Yonhap News