'Youngest' Koo Kwangmo Fills Water Glasses, 'Eldest' Chey Taewon Pours Drinks... Toast: "Go Korea! SK, LG, Naver"

Jensen Huang Kicks Off Samgyeopsal and Somaek Gathering at "Hyungnim Jeyo" near Hongdae

Takes Selfies with Guests at Nearby Tables and Chats with Children

Shares Snacks Like HBM Chips and Donuts with Citizens

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, and the heads of major Korean conglomerates such as SK, LG, and Naver, began a dinner gathering on the evening of June 5, accompanied by samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), soju, and beer. Attention is focused on whether Huang and the business leaders will discuss potential cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and AI factories.

Around 6:52 p.m. that day, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, was the first to arrive at the restaurant "Hyungnim Jeyo" near Hongdae Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, followed by Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of the Board at Naver. Dressed casually, they headed straight into the restaurant without responding to reporters' questions.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, Taewon Choi, Chairman of SK Group, Kwangmo Koo, Chairman of LG Group, and Haejin Lee, Chairman of the Board at Naver, are holding a meeting. Photo by Joint Press Corps

After a brief exchange of greetings, Terra beer and Chamisul soju were served at the table. The youngest among them, Chairman Koo, stood up, took napkins from a dispenser hanging from the ceiling, placed them on the table, and filled the participants' water glasses, while the "eldest," Chairman Chey, poured beer for the others.

Huang was the last to arrive, entering the restaurant around 7:10 p.m. He simply told reporters "Thank you" before heading inside. After changing into a leather jacket, he entered the restaurant, signed a sketchbook for a child at a nearby table, and then joined the business leaders for the meal. Huang was seen picking up perilla leaves, dipping peppers in ssamjang (a traditional Korean dipping sauce), and eating them. When Lee explained to Huang how to wrap ssam (Korean wraps), Huang followed along and tried it himself.

When Huang’s glass was filled with "somaek" (a mix of soju and beer), he stirred the drink with a spoon by tapping the glass. For the toast, he shouted, "Go Korea! SK! LG! Naver! Cheers!" as they clinked glasses together.

Huang’s signature "fan service" was also on display that evening. During the meal, he took group selfies with guests at a neighboring table and was seen chatting with children at their eye level.

During the dinner, Huang, along with Chairman Chey, Chairman Koo, and Chairman Lee, stepped outside the restaurant to hand out snacks to waiting reporters and citizens. The snacks included glutinous rice donuts and "HBM Chips" snacks. HBM Chips, a snack named after high-bandwidth memory (HBM), was launched as a collaboration between SK hynix and 7-Eleven. Huang also demonstrated eating the HBM Chips on the spot.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is handing out snacks to citizens. Photo by Bokyung Jang

The area around the restaurant was bustling from the morning, as reporters and citizens gathered in anticipation of the meeting. The restaurant did not accept regular customers that day, focusing solely on preparations for the gathering. Inside, staff members were busy preparing meat and tidying up the interior. As crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Huang, police and Mapo District Office officials were deployed to manage order and control traffic.

During his visit to Korea, Huang is planning to meet with key business figures and participate in various events. On June 7, he is scheduled to meet with Kim Taekjin, CEO of NC, and throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears professional baseball home game together with Chairman Park. On June 8, he plans to visit LG Twin Tower, Hyundai Motor Group’s Yangjae headquarters, and Naver’s 1784 building in succession to discuss potential cooperation. He is also coordinating visits to Seoul National University’s AI Institute and Robotics Research Center on the same day. After completing all his engagements, Huang is expected to depart Korea on the afternoon of June 8.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, Chang Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of the Board at Naver, are meeting. Photo by Joint Press Corps

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.