Jensen Huang Receives Van Fleet Award... Lee Jay-yong and Chey Tae-won Celebrate Together in New York (Comprehensive)

Lee Jae-yong Congratulates, Citing Lee Kun-hee

Chey Tae-won Proposes Toast, Highlighting the "Korea-U.S. Legacy"

Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, visited New York on the 28th (local time) to congratulate Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on receiving the Van Fleet Award.

Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, attended the Korea Society 2026 Annual Gala held in New York, USA, on the 28th (local time) to receive the Van Fleet Award. Photo by Yoonjoo Hwang, New York (USA) Correspondent

During a congratulatory speech at the Korea Society’s Annual Gala held that evening at Cipriani South Street, Chairman Lee said, “Today is all the more special for me because my late father received this same award exactly 20 years ago.” The late Lee Kun-hee, former chairman of Samsung Group, received the award in 2006.

Chairman Lee described CEO Huang as a "longtime friend," recalling, “I first met Jensen about 25 years ago at CES. Even back then, he dreamed big and bet everything on what he believed in to make those dreams a reality.”

He added, “He has made Nvidia a company at the center of today’s AI industry. He redefined what computing can do, and now Nvidia is moving global industries while creating true collaboration and achievements between the United States and Korea.”

Chairman Chey proposed a toast. He said, “Nvidia designs the brains (GPUs) and SK makes the memory (HBMs). If AI thinks as fast as light, SK makes sure it never forgets.” He then mentioned a favorite saying of CEO Huang’s—“The more you buy, the more you save”—and remarked, “Our accountants are still trying to figure out what that means, but I am a staunch believer.”

Chairman Chey also welcomed CEO Huang as part of the “Van Fleet family.” Chairman Chey himself received the Van Fleet Award in 2017, and his late father, Chey Jong-hyun, former SK Group Chairman, received the same award in 1998. Chairman Chey said, "I know well that this award is not just a recognition of personal achievements, but a meaningful legacy that brings Korea and the United States closer together." He then proposed a toast for CEO Huang, his family, and the Korea-U.S. alliance.

Abraham Kim, President of The Korea Society, stated that CEO Huang’s leadership and cooperation with Korean companies “will drive the next era of technological transformation and further strengthen Korea-U.S. cooperation.”

The Van Fleet Award is named after General James Van Fleet, who served as commander of the U.S. 8th Army during the Korean War and was the founding president of The Korea Society. The award is given to individuals or organizations that have contributed to the advancement of Korea-U.S. relations.

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