A Midsummer Night of Samgyeopsal and a Second Round at a Chicken Restaurant... Jensen Huang Spends a 'Fire Friday' with Business Leaders (Comprehensive)

Samgyeopsal and Somaek Gathering at Hyungnim Jeyo in Hongdae

Toast of the Night: "Cheers! Go Korea! SK, LG, Naver!"

Sharing HBM Chips, Donuts, and Bungeoppang with Citizens

"Golden Bell" Payment Made by Chairman Lee Haejin Using Naver

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, who is currently visiting Korea, held a dinner gathering late in the evening on June 5th with the heads of major Korean conglomerates such as SK, LG, and Naver in the heart of the bustling Hongdae district in Seoul. The dinner featured samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), soju, and beer. Following last year’s “Kkanbu Meeting,” this year Huang hosted the so-called “Hyungnim (Big Brother) Gathering,” hinting once again at upcoming collaborations in Korea’s semiconductor, AI (artificial intelligence), and robotics sectors. Huang and the conglomerate leaders continued their conversations late into the night, even moving on to a second location, and engaged with the public by handing out snacks to citizens, highlighting their commitment to open communication.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and his wife Lori Huang are having a conversation with Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver, at the BBQ Hongdae Entrance Branch in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Yonhap News.

The area around the restaurant where the meeting took place was bustling with reporters and citizens from the morning. The restaurant focused exclusively on preparations for the gathering and did not take any general customers that day. Inside, staff were busy preparing meat and tidying up the dining area. As crowds gathered in hopes of seeing Huang, police and officials from Mapo District Office were deployed to maintain order and control traffic around the scene.

The streets of Hongdae, Seoul, were crowded on June 5, 2026, as Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin gathered for a samgyeopsal meeting. Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

At 6:52 p.m., Koo Kwangmo, Chairman of LG Group, was the first to arrive at “Hyungnim Jeoyo,” the samgyeopsal restaurant near Hongdae Entrance Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where the meeting was held. He was soon followed by Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of the Board at Naver, who all appeared in succession.

After a round of greetings, “Terra” beer and “Chamisul” soju were brought out to the table. As the youngest, Chairman Koo stood up, took tissues from a dispenser hanging from the ceiling, placed them on the table, and filled each guest’s water glass. Chairman Chey, as the eldest, poured beer for the others.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, along with Taewon Chey, Chairman of SK Group, Kwangmo Koo, Chairman of LG Group, and Haejin Lee, Chairman of Naver, held a so-called "Samso (Samgyeopsal and Soju) Meeting" on the 5th at the Samgyeopsal restaurant "Hyungnim Jeoyo" near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Jensen Huang was the last to arrive, entering the restaurant at around 7:10 p.m. He only said “Thank you” to reporters before heading straight inside. After switching into a leather jacket, he entered the restaurant, signed a sketchbook for a child at a nearby table, and then began dining with the conglomerate leaders. Huang was seen picking up perilla leaves and dipping chili peppers in ssamjang (a Korean dipping sauce), and also tried making a ssam (Korean wrap) after being shown how by Lee Hae-jin. Unfamiliar with the Korean custom of eating the wrap in one bite, Huang took small bites instead.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is signing a book handed to him by a citizen on the 5th. Photo by Bokyung Jang

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) Huang visited right after arriving in Korea. The atmosphere remained friendly, with Huang patting Lee’s shoulder and Koo laughing at Huang’s stories.

As the drinks flowed, the restaurant owner made a “bomb shot” by mixing Cass beer with soju, tapping the glass with a spoon. Huang joined in, mixing his drink by striking the glass with a spoon as well. For the toast, he shouted, “Go Korea! Go SK! Go LG! Go Naver! Cheers!” as they clinked their glasses together.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are handing out HBM Chips snacks to citizens and reporters in front of the pork belly restaurant "Hyeongnim Joyo" near Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Jang Bokyung

Huang’s signature fan service was on display throughout the evening. He took group selfies with guests at neighboring tables and engaged in conversation with children, getting down to their eye level. When a child who recognized him handed over a sketchbook, he signed it and greeted them with “Nice to meet you.”

Huang, along with Chey, Koo, and Lee, stepped outside the restaurant during the meal to hand out snacks to waiting reporters and citizens. That evening’s snacks included glutinous rice donuts and “HBM Chips” crackers. HBM Chips were created as a collaboration between SK hynix and 7-Eleven, inspired by high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Huang also demonstrated eating the HBM Chips on the spot. Later, they returned outside to distribute banana milk, sikhye (sweet rice drink), and bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry).

While handing out snacks, Huang shouted “More HBM!” to energize the crowd, who responded by chanting “HBM” as well. He commented, “The reason I came to Korea is because business here is booming. Korea is doing exceptionally well.” He added, “The big gift I brought to Korea is NVIDIA’s four new products,” and proceeded to introduce the next-generation AI platform Vera Rubin, Vera CPU, the personal AI supercomputer DGX Spark, and Jetson Thor, an AI computer specialized for robotics.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is seen on the 5th sharing various snacks with citizens while holding a “Samso (pork belly and soju) meeting” with Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver, at the Samgyeopsal restaurant “Hyungnim Jeoyo” near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Koo Kwangmo remarked, “I’m really enjoying myself. Tonight is a relaxed gathering for networking, and we have a meeting scheduled for next Monday.” Huang responded to Koo, calling him a “good friend.” Chey Tae-won joked to Huang, “You drink better than I do,” drawing laughter.

The “Samso” meeting reached its climax when Lee Hae-jin of Naver rang the “golden bell.” At Hyungnim Jeoyo, the meeting venue, an offline integrated payment terminal called “Naver Pay Connect” was installed. This device supports not only credit cards and Naver Pay, but also FaceSign, a facial recognition-based payment method. When Huang encouraged applause by saying, “Naver is treating everyone,” all the guests clapped and shouted, “Naver!”

Crowds gathered in front of the BBQ Hongdae Entrance branch in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia; Taewon Choi, Chairman of SK Group; Kwangmo Koo, Chairman of LG Group; and Haejin Lee, Chairman of Naver, met on the 5th. Photo by Myunghwan Lee.

The group continued their evening at a nearby BBQ chicken restaurant for a second round. When Huang’s party expressed interest in having chicken for the next venue, the other attendees agreed. Earlier in the afternoon, upon arrival at Gimpo Airport, Huang had told reporters, “I’ve missed Korean fried chicken. I love Korean BBQ and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), as well as other Korean foods.”

Huang sat side by side with his wife, Lori Huang, while Chey, Koo, and Lee enjoyed chicken and whiskey together at the same table. As crowds gathered outside, cheering and chanting Huang’s name, he stepped out to hand out pieces of chicken to the citizens. Afterwards, Chey brought out a box of HBM Chips and distributed them to the crowd as well.

As the impromptu second gathering continued outside the restaurant, more citizens gathered, making the area increasingly crowded late into the night. The crowd continued to cheer and film videos, showing their enthusiastic interest. After about an hour of further conversation during the second round, the group wrapped up and departed approximately three and a half hours after the dinner had begun.

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