[비즈한국] Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG003550 Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Naver035420 Chairman Lee Hae-jin held a 'Samso-maek' (pork belly + soju/beer) gathering on the afternoon of the 5th, lasting about two hours. CEO Huang, visiting Korea for the first time in 10 months, shared a dinner of grilled pork belly, soju, and beer with the leaders of the three companies, expressing his anticipation for cooperation in future industries such as AI semiconductors and robotics.
Cheers with So-maek: “GO SK!, GO LG!, GO Naver!”
At around 7:09 PM, CEO Huang was the last to arrive at 'Hyungnim-Jyeoyo,' a pork belly specialty restaurant in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, where hundreds of people had gathered, bringing the four of them together at one table. Chairman Koo Kwang-mo was the first to arrive shortly after 6:50 PM, followed by Chairman Chey Tae-won and Chairman Lee Hae-jin. The three chatted over beer. Chairman Chey was seen filling the glasses of the others, and Chairman Lee reciprocated by filling Chairman Chey's glass.
When CEO Huang, wearing a black leather jacket, appeared with his eldest daughter, Madison Huang, Director of Product Marketing for Nvidia Omniverse and Robotics, cheers erupted on the streets of Hongdae. CEO Huang waved to the citizens before entering the restaurant. He hugged Chairman Koo and gave a friendly pat on the shoulder to both Chairman Chey and Chairman Lee. Afterward, he took off his jacket, sat down, and the dinner began in earnest.
Chairman Koo naturally took charge of the table. He took on the role of grilling the meat, and when someone needed a napkin, he personally pulled one down from the ceiling dispenser and handed it to them.
The four continued their conversation while enjoying pork belly, soju, and beer. CEO Huang showed interest in green chili peppers and kimchi, and was seen eating lettuce wraps with green onion salad. During several toasts, CEO Huang held his glass high and led the atmosphere by shouting, “Go Korea, Go SK, Go LG, Go Naver.”
CEO Huang also communicated actively with other customers in the restaurant. He visited a table where a family with young children was dining to take commemorative photos and responded to every request for selfies from other customers.
About 30 minutes after the meal began, CEO Huang stepped outside to distribute twisted donuts and sticky rice donuts to citizens and reporters. Chairman Chey and Chairman Lee also came outside to join in the snack distribution. A scene of CEO Huang and Chairman Chey standing side-by-side giving thumbs-up for photos was also captured.
When Chairman Chey brought out 'HBM Chips' snacks released in collaboration with a convenience store, CEO Huang immediately tore open the bag to taste them and shared them with citizens. He asked reporters, “Do you like HBM?”, and when Chairman Chey held up the HBM chips, he shouted, “HBM is mine,” which brought laughter to the scene. When citizens chanted “Jensen Huang,” he responded by shouting “HBM.” Along with HBM chips, Binggrae Banana Milk and Paldo Birak Sikhye were also provided at the site.
“Business in Korea is Booming”… Unveiling 4 New Business Initiatives and AI Research Center
CEO Huang expressed his expectations for the Korean market when meeting with reporters. He said, “Partners in Korea are very important,” and added, “The reason I came to Korea is that business is booming.” He further commented, “Korea is doing a great job.”
CEO Huang stated, “I brought 4 new businesses as big gifts to Korea,” and introduced the next-generation AI platform ‘Blackwell Rubin’ (Vera Rubin), new CPU ‘Vera’, AI PC platform ‘RTX Spark’, and computing platform for robots ‘Jetson Thor’. He explained, “Vera Rubin will use a large amount of HBM, and Vera will use a large amount of LPDDR5 memory. RTX Spark will also require large-scale LPDDR5 memory.”
He continued, “RTX Spark is the first new PC invention in 40 years. This is just the beginning. Unlike this year, next year will see a flood of four new products.” He emphasized, “I hope you are ready for a very exciting new year.”
He also unveiled plans to expand R&D investment in Korea. CEO Huang stated, “We are building an excellent research center in Korea for AI research engineers and robotics research,” adding, “We are hiring relevant talent.” In fact, Nvidia posted a job opening on the same day for physical AI personnel at its AI Technology Center to be based in Seoul. The personnel will be responsible for research in the fields of digital twin and robotics.
He added, “Samsung, Hyundai, LG, SK Hynix000660, and Naver are all precious friends. We are all enjoying a boom, and I am here to celebrate their great partnership.”
While CEO Huang continued his active outreach to citizens and reporters, the leaders of the three companies continued their conversation inside the restaurant. While CEO Huang was away from his seat, Director Madison Huang was seen joining the conversation naturally. However, the three were reserved regarding business-related questions from reporters. Chairman Koo said, “We strengthened our friendship in a relaxed setting today,” and Chairman Chey responded briefly, “There are too many people here to talk (about work).”
It was reported that the cost of the gathering was settled by Chairman Lee using the facial recognition payment function of Naver Pay’s offline payment terminal, 'Npay Connect'.
The gathering, which lasted about two hours, concluded at 9:05 PM as the four posed for a commemorative photo in front of the restaurant. The attendees moved to a nearby BBQ shop for a second round. CEO Huang’s wife, Lori Huang, joined them there. Having emptied several glasses of so-maek during the first round, the attendees continued their conversation over draft beer after changing locations.
This meeting is a public dinner held with Korean corporate leaders, following a so-called 'Kkanbu (buddy) gathering' that CEO Huang had with Samsung Electronics005930 Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor005380 Group Chairman Euisun Chung at Kkanbu Chicken in Samseong-dong last October. The industry’s attention is focused on the fact that leaders of major companies in cooperative relationships with Nvidia—such as SK Hynix’s HBM, LG’s AI/robotics business, and Naver’s AI services—were gathered in one place.
CEO Huang began his public schedule immediately after arriving via Gimpo Airport that day. At the airport, he expressed his intention to focus on expanding supply chain cooperation during his visit to Korea, stating, “I have many meetings scheduled with Hyundai, LG, SK, Samsung, and Naver.” After visiting 'T1 Base Camp' in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to meet with e-sports players, he moved to Hongdae to hold the Samso-maek gathering with Chairman Chey Tae-won, Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, and Chairman Lee Hae-jin. He plans to continue his schedule in Korea by visiting LG Group, Hyundai Motor, Naver, and Seoul National University.