Jensen Huang's "Samso Gathering" Bill Paid by Naver... "HBM Chips" Shared with Citizens (Comprehensive)

Samgyeopsal and Somaek Gathering at "Hyungnim Jeoyo" in Hongdae
Toast: "Cheers! Go Korea! SK, LG, Naver!"
Taking Selfies with Nearby Diners and Chatting with Children
Handing Out HBM Chips, Donuts, and Bungeoppang Snacks to Citizens
Payment Covered by Chairman Lee Haejin Using Naver Pay

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, along with the heads of Korea's major conglomerates such as SK, LG, and Naver, began a dinner gathering on June 5 in the evening, featuring samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), soju, and beer. Just as they did during last year's "Kkanbu Gathering," they interacted closely with citizens by taking commemorative photos and handing out snacks.

Around 6:52 p.m., Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, was the first to arrive at "Hyungnim Jeoyo," a samgyeopsal restaurant near Hongdae Ipgu Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where the gathering was held. He was followed by Taewon Choi, Chairman of SK Group, and Haejin Lee, Chairman of the Board at Naver, who appeared in turn. Dressed casually, they did not answer questions from the press and headed straight into the restaurant.

Yonhap News Agency

After exchanging brief greetings, Terra beer and Chamisul soju were served at the table. The youngest, Chairman Koo, stood up, pulled tissue from the dispenser hanging from the ceiling, placed it on the table, and filled the participants’ water glasses. The "eldest," Chairman Choi, poured beer into everyone else's glasses.

CEO Huang was the last to arrive, appearing around 7:10 p.m. He simply said "Thank you" to reporters before heading straight into the restaurant. After changing into a leather jacket, he entered the restaurant, signed a sketchbook for a child at the neighboring table, and then started the meal with the group leaders. CEO Huang was seen picking up perilla leaves or dipping peppers in ssamjang (spicy paste) and eating them. When Chairman Lee explained how to make a Korean-style ssam (meat wrap), Huang followed along. Unfamiliar with the Korean custom of eating the whole wrap in one bite, CEO Huang was seen taking bites instead.

During the meal, the conversation turned to topics such as "CES 2026," the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held earlier this year, and the PC bang (internet café) that CEO Huang visited right after arriving in Korea. The atmosphere remained friendly, with CEO Huang patting Chairman Lee on the shoulder and Chairman Koo laughing at CEO Huang’s stories.

As the drinking session progressed, the restaurant owner made a Korean-style "bomb shot" (mixing Cass beer with soju) by tapping a spoon on the glass. CEO Huang then mixed the drink by tapping the glass with a spoon himself. For the toast, he exclaimed, "Go Korea! Go SK! Go LG! Go Naver! Cheers!" and clinked glasses with the other group leaders.

CEO Huang’s signature "fan service" was on full display as well. During the meal, he took group selfies with customers at the next table and engaged with children at their level. He signed a sketchbook for a child who recognized him and said, "Nice to meet you."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, are distributing HBM Chips snacks to citizens and reporters. Photo by Jang Bokyung

During the meal, CEO Huang, Chairman Choi, 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," a snack inspired by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and co-developed by SK hynix and 7-Eleven. CEO Huang was seen eating an HBM Chips snack on the spot. Later, they came out again to hand out banana milk, sikhye (sweet rice drink), and bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries).

While handing out snacks, CEO Huang shouted "More HBM" to encourage the crowd, and the citizens responded by chanting "HBM." He said, "The reason I came to Korea is because business here is booming," adding, "Korea is doing extremely well." He also introduced four major products from NVIDIA, calling them a "big gift" for Korea: the next-generation AI platform Vera Rubin, the Vera CPU, the personal AI supercomputer DGX Spark, and the Jetson Thor AI computer for robots.

Chairman Koo Kwang-mo said, "I'm having a great time. Today is a relaxed get-together to build camaraderie, and we have a meeting scheduled next Monday." In response, CEO Huang turned to Chairman Koo and said, "Good friend." Chairman Choi joked to CEO Huang, "You drink better than I do," with a laugh.

It is known that Chairman Lee Haejin of Naver will cover the bill for this "Samso" gathering. The restaurant, Hyungnim Jeoyo, is equipped with "Naver Pay Connect," an offline integrated payment terminal that supports not only credit cards and Naver Pay, but also "Face Sign," a face-recognition-based payment system. Chairman Koo remarked, "Chairman Lee Haejin of Naver will take care of the bill."

After wrapping up the first round of the gathering, CEO Huang and the group leaders planned to move on to a nearby karaoke bar for a second round.

Yonhap News Agency

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