Jensen Huang Enjoys "Chimaek" at BBQ This Time... Had Golden Olive Chicken

Visit to Hongdae BBQ with Chey Tae-won, Koo Kwang-mo, and Lee Hae-jin

An Impromptu "Chimaek" Gathering Surprised Even BBQ Headquarters

HiteJinro, OB Beer, Binggrae and Others Gain Unexpected Publicity

On the first day of his visit to Korea, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, visited a BBQ restaurant together with the heads of Korea's major companies. Last year, CEO Huang drew attention with his "chimaek (chicken and beer) gathering" at Kanbu Chicken; this time, his choice of BBQ has once again become a focus of industry interest.

According to industry sources on June 6, CEO Jensen Huang, after having dinner with Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver, at a restaurant near Hongdae Entrance Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul on June 5, visited the BBQ Hongdae Entrance branch as their second stop.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is taking a commemorative photo after a samgyeopsal dinner meeting with SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at a barbecue restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul on June 5, 2026. Photo by Dongju Yoon

They are known to have ordered Golden Olive Chicken, Lemon Boy (lemon ade), cola, and Cass canned beer. CEO Huang sat next to his wife, Lori Huang, while Chairman Chey, Chairman Koo, and Chairman Lee also shared the same table and conversed together.

This visit is said to have been impromptu. CEO Huang's side expressed a desire to "go to a chicken restaurant," which led to the location being chosen, and Genesis BBQ, the head office of BBQ, is reported not to have been informed of the visit in advance.

Once news broke that CEO Huang had entered the restaurant, crowds of citizens and reporters gathered at the scene. As people called out his name and cheered, CEO Huang and Chairman Chey stepped outside the restaurant and personally handed out chicken to the crowd. Chairman Chey, while handing out chicken, joked, "Chicken made in Korea is the most delicious in the world," drawing laughter from those present.

This unexpected visit brought BBQ significant publicity. During his visit to Korea for the APEC CEO Summit in October last year, CEO Huang had also attracted attention by visiting Kanbu Chicken in Seoul. The so-called "Kanbu gathering" at that time spread widely online and on social media, boosting the profile of the brand.

BBQ also capitalized on the occasion for marketing. The PR team posted content with the concept of lamenting, "Why didn't he come to us?" The post received over 1,500 likes in just one day, going viral. Within the industry, some are saying that BBQ has "finally had their wish granted after a year" with this latest visit.

Autographs of Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Lee Hae-jin, Chairman of Naver, who visited the BBQ Hongdae branch. Provided by Genesis BBQ.

The BBQ Hongdae Entrance branch visited by CEO Huang opened in July last year and is about 132 square meters in size. Due to the characteristics of the Hongdae commercial area, it attracts many young people and foreign tourists, reportedly generating monthly sales of 200 million to 300 million won.

The Golden Olive Chicken served at the table is BBQ's signature menu item. Since its launch in 2005, featuring chicken cooked in olive oil, more than 500 million chickens have been sold to date. This is equivalent to every one of Korea's 50 million citizens eating 10 chickens each. If you lined up all the Golden Olive Chicken boxes sold so far, they would nearly circle the Earth three times. If you stacked them, it would reach more than 80,000 times the height of Lotte World Tower.

Meanwhile, on this day, CEO Huang, Chairman Chey Tae-won, Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Chairman Lee Hae-jin had dinner together at "Hyungnim Jeyo," a Samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) specialty restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

On the table were Terra beer and Chamisul soju from HiteJinro. The attendees mixed Terra and Chamisul to make "poktanju" (soju bombs), and later Cass beer from OB Beer was also served. The familiar combinations of samgyeopsal with soju and beer, and chicken with beer, appeared at this meeting between global CEOs and Korea's top business leaders, bringing promotional benefits to the associated brands as well.

HiteJinro is reported to have supplied Terra, Chamisul, and Ilpoom Jinro to the restaurant in advance. News of CEO Huang's visit prompted the liquor industry to act swiftly to seize the opportunity for brand exposure.

CEO Huang, Chairman Chey, Chairman Koo, and Chairman Lee also stepped outside the restaurant to share snacks with citizens and journalists who were waiting for them. The products they handed out included "HBM Chip" snacks, a collaboration between SK hynix and 7-Eleven, Banana Flavored Milk from Binggrae, and Paldo's Vilac Sikhye. Binggrae is said to have increased its supply of Banana Flavored Milk to convenience stores near Hongdae on that day compared to usual.

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