From PC cafés to pork belly: Inside Jensen Huang's unconventional Seoul summit

By Park Sae-jin Posted : June 5, 2026, 22:54 Updated : June 5, 2026, 22:54
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang (left) enjoys a pork belly dinner gathering with SK Chairman Chey Tae-won (center left), LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (center right), and Naver Founder Lee Hae-jin (right) at a barbecue restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo District, Seoul, on June 5. Aju Business Daily Yoo Dae-gil

SEOUL, June 05 (AJP) - Neon lights, the rapid clatter of keyboards in a bustling Hongdae PC café, and the unmistakable sizzle of meat hitting a hot grill—these are hardly the traditional backdrops for high-stakes tech diplomacy. Yet, on the evening of June 5, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang traded the polished boardrooms of Silicon Valley for the vibrant, everyday rhythms of Seoul. Immersing himself first in South Korea's grassroots digital culture, Huang eventually made his way to "Hyungnim Jeoyo," a local pork belly restaurant, setting a distinctly grounded and intimate visual tone for the night ahead.

 
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang greets a crowd of people before attending a pork belly dinner gathering with SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Founder Lee Hae-jin, held at a barbecue restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo District, Seoul, on June 5. Aju Business Daily Yoo Dae-gil

By 7 p.m., the casual outing transformed into an unprecedented gathering of industry titans. Sharing the table and bonding over a traditional "samso"—pork belly paired with soju—were SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin. This smoky, grill-side meeting echoed a similarly historic summit Huang held just seven months prior with Samsung and Hyundai leadership over fried chicken. The images that follow capture the candid, unbuttoned moments of this extraordinary evening, offering a rare glimpse into the personal, cross-cultural connections that are quietly shaping the future of global technology.

 
Crowds fill the streets of Hongdae, Seoul, on June 5, the day NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang held a pork belly dinner gathering with SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Founder Lee Hae-jin. Aju Business Daily Yoo Dae-gil

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