Who Is Joon H. Kim? Korean American Ex-Prosecutor Behind Cuomo Probe Now Leads Nvidia Investigation of Huang

NEW YORK — Nvidia has hired one of the country's most prominent former prosecutors to investigate its chief executive, Jensen Huang. Joon H. Kim is a Korean American lawyer who once ran the Manhattan federal prosecutor's office and co-led the investigation that ended New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's career.

The chipmaker's independent directors said Tuesday they had retained Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Kim will "conduct a thorough and independent investigation," the board said.

The inquiry will examine whether Huang was the target of what the board called a "foreign intelligence effort." It will also look at whether Nvidia's secrets or U.S. national security were compromised through his relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman U.S. intelligence officials believe was spying for China. The two are not related.

A committee of independent directors will oversee the work, with Kim's team serving as outside counsel. In its original statement on Sunday, the board said it had "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised," but that its review would "examine all available information."

A diplomat's son

Kim, whose Korean name is Kim Joon-hyun, was born in Los Angeles in May 1971. He is the son of Kim Jae-sung, a former South Korean ambassador to Jordan. He spent much of his childhood abroad, living in South Korea, Jordan and Britain as his father moved between diplomatic posts.

Kim has said his father's career inspired his own path into public service. According to a profile by the Asian American Bar Association of New York, he wanted to emulate his father in dedicating his life to serving his nation, South Korea for the father and the United States for the son.

He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and then from Stanford University in 1993 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1996. After law school, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum in Manhattan and worked as an associate at the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

Rise through the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office

Kim joined the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York in 2000. The office, widely regarded as one of the most powerful prosecutors' offices in the country, handles many of the nation's biggest financial fraud, terrorism and public corruption cases.

He worked in the office's organized crime and terrorism unit and prosecuted violent criminal organizations and their leaders. He later rose to chief of the criminal division. In July 2015, he was promoted to deputy U.S. attorney, the second-highest post in the office. The promotion made him the highest-ranking Korean American in federal prosecution at the time.

In March 2017, Kim became acting U.S. attorney after Preet Bharara was removed from the post. He held the job until January 2018, when he reached the legal 300-day limit on acting U.S. attorneys.

During his tenure, the office continued to prosecute high-profile terrorism cases. It sought a prison term for former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner after his guilty plea to a federal obscenity charge. It also secured the conviction of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a Turkish banker, in a case involving efforts to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The Cuomo investigation

Kim returned to Cleary Gottlieb as a partner in April 2018, focusing on white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement.

In March 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James chose Kim and employment lawyer Anne L. Clark to lead an independent investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo. Their report, released in August 2021, concluded that the governor had sexually harassed multiple women. Cuomo announced his resignation days later, on Aug. 10, 2021.

The case cemented Kim's reputation as an investigator capable of handling politically explosive inquiries into powerful figures. He joined Wachtell, one of Wall Street's most elite law firms, as a partner in October.

Huang back at work

Huang, 63, has continued to run Nvidia during the investigation. He returned to the company's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Monday and led his regular morning meeting with senior executives, CNBC reported. He opened by acknowledging the affair and apologizing, then moved on to business without taking questions. He was back in the office Tuesday.

Employees described the mood inside the company as "sad," according to CNBC. Longtime staff who viewed Huang as the company's guiding figure are struggling to accept the revelations.

In an email to employees on Sunday, Huang admitted being unfaithful to his wife. "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he wrote. Nvidia has said Huang "fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it."

The New York Times first reported on Oct. 29 that Huang had a "close relationship" with Alice Huang. According to the Times, U.S. intelligence agencies believe she was linked to Chinese intelligence and was involved in efforts to move advanced AI chips to China. China has repeatedly denied the spying allegations.

Pressure from Washington

Political pressure on Huang is growing. Lawmakers from both parties are calling for a federal investigation, and one has demanded his resignation, Forbes reported. Some lawmakers are citing the case as a reason to tighten restrictions on exports of Nvidia's chips.

A group of Republican committee chairs has invited Huang to a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18. They want to discuss Nvidia's "security protocols against foreign adversary espionage" and his interactions with Alice Huang. Nvidia and Huang also face a shareholder lawsuit alleging investors were misled.

Tracy Walder, a former FBI special agent, said Huang "should have known better."

Nvidia shares rebounded about 3.4% on Wednesday morning after two days of steep losses. On Tuesday, the stock hit a six-month intraday low of $165.89. The company reports third-quarter earnings on Nov. 17.