NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Hosts Gathering with South Korean Business Leaders

On June 5, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, visited a PC café in Hongdae before arriving at the pork belly restaurant "Hyungnim Jeoyo" around 7 p.m. for a gathering with South Korean business leaders, referred to as a "samso" (pork belly and soju) meeting.

This meeting came seven months after a similar gathering with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a chicken restaurant last October. This time, Chey Tae-won of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin of Naver gathered around the grill.

Koo, Chey, and Lee arrived at the venue around 6:50 p.m., greeting each other and sharing drinks before Huang's arrival at approximately 7:10 p.m. Upon his arrival, the crowd erupted in cheers, with around 1,000 people gathering outside the restaurant to catch a glimpse of him.

Despite the gathering of top executives, the hierarchy was clear. The eldest was Chey Tae-won (66), followed by Huang (63), Lee (59), and the youngest, Koo (48), who actively took charge. Koo helped by laying napkins in front of the senior executives and grilling pork belly at the table.

When Koo spoke to reporters during the meal, he said, "I grilled a lot of meat. I worked hard on it," adding, "I think I might be a bit tipsy."

Huang appeared to fully enjoy Korean dining culture. During the meal, when Lee demonstrated how to wrap kimchi and pork belly in perilla leaves, Huang followed suit, taking a big bite and dipping it in sauce.

The atmosphere peaked during the "bomb shot" time. As the restaurant owner prepared a mix of soju and beer, Huang joyfully grabbed a spoon and joined in, calling out, "Go Korea! Go SK! Go LG! Go Naver!" to energize the crowd.

During the meal, Huang distributed snacks and HBM chips to the gathered citizens, expressing his affection for HBM chips and stating, "We need more HBM!" Chey, while handing out HBM chips, remarked, "I feel like Santa Claus." Huang also warmly embraced Koo, saying, "He is a good friend."

Huang praised Korean culture, stating, "Korean pork barbecue and chicken are the best in the world. Plus, K-pop is exciting, and K-dramas always move me to tears. Korea has always been kind to me and holds a special place in my heart."

Following the pork belly gathering, the group headed to a chicken restaurant around 9:30 p.m. As they arrived, a large crowd gathered outside, and at around 10 p.m., Huang personally handed out chicken to the waiting citizens, while Chey distributed HBM chips in response to the crowd's enthusiasm.