Jensen Huang's Wild Friday: Pork Belly, Soju and Chicken With Korean Chiefs

Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang, who arrived in Korea on Friday, spent a lively Friday night with the heads of major Korean conglomerates, enjoying "samso" (samgyeopsal pork belly and soju) before moving on to a second round of "chimaek" (chicken and beer).

The "bill-paying protagonists" of the day's chain of gatherings also drew much attention. Earlier, at the first-round barbecue restaurant, Chairman Lee paid for the meal directly using the facial recognition payment function of "Npay (Naver Pay) Connect," an offline payment terminal installed at the store. In particular, Lee won great applause by paying for the meals of all the citizens at the scene as well, in what is known as ringing the "golden bell." The cost of the subsequent second-round chicken restaurant gathering was covered by Chairman Choi's side. Earlier, during the first-round dinner, Choi also came out of the restaurant with Huang to hand out "HBM Chips" snacks, modeled after SK hynix's high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to citizens, leading the on-site atmosphere throughout the day.

Huang finished his first-round meal that day with SK Group Chairman Tae-won Choi, LG Group Chairman Kwang-mo Koo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at "Hyungnim Jeoyo," a barbecue restaurant near Hongdae in Seoul's Mapo district. The group then moved to a nearby BBQ outlet at Hongik University Station for a second gathering. Huang's wife, Lori Huang, also joined the group there. Although the attendees had already downed several glasses of "somaek," a mix of soju and beer, during the first round, they enjoyed a warm atmosphere over draft beer after changing venues.

Outside the restaurant, a long line formed with reporters and hundreds of citizens who had gathered to see Huang. As citizens repeatedly chanted "Jensen Huang," Huang and Chairman Choi came out themselves to hand out chicken to those waiting, in a surprise fan service. At the scene, Choi conveyed the excitement, saying, "(Huang) says the chicken made in Korea is the most delicious in the world." When a celebratory cake appeared on the table, Huang took a big bite and put on a cheerful performance, and as he left, he showed his friendliness by exchanging fist bumps with citizens one by one.