On Nov. 5, the dinner bill for the so-called "Sam-So" (samgyeopsal and soju) gathering between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and the heads of major Korean companies was settled by Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin using Naver Pay.
After finishing dinner with Huang, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo at the barbecue restaurant "Hyungnim Jeoyo" near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Chairman Lee personally paid the bill using Naver's offline payment terminal, "Npay (Naver Pay) Connect," installed at the restaurant. Lee drew particular attention by using "Face Sign," the device's facial recognition payment feature.
Naver also posted on its official Instagram around 7 p.m., while the dinner was in full swing, introducing Npay Connect with phrases such as "Am I the one who should buy the sam-sso?" and "Hyung, let me pay!" The move is seen as a swift promotional effort as public interest in Naver Pay surged following the "Sam-So" gathering.
When Chairman Lee paid the bill, Chairman Koo said, "Today's payment is being made by Chairman Lee Hae-jin," and Huang raised Lee's hand and shouted, "This man paid (for it)," creating a friendly atmosphere.
The dinner began at 7:09 p.m. when Huang arrived at the restaurant and lasted about two hours. The four repeatedly raised their glasses, and Huang wrapped samgyeopsal in perilla leaves to eat. For dessert, the four chairmen had kimchi-mari noodles and rolled omelet.
While chatting, Huang and Chey stepped outside the restaurant and showed their signature affability by handing out snacks to citizens. The gift they distributed was "HBM Chips," a product SK hynix launched last November in collaboration with the convenience store chain Seven Eleven. The product was designed to familiarize the public with high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the key product of the two companies' partnership. At the time, around 300 reporters and citizens crowded near the restaurant to catch a glimpse of the gathering, with some chanting "Jensen Huang."
Chairman Koo, the youngest among the attendees, arrived at the restaurant first and took on the "youngest member" role, laying napkins on the table and flipping the samgyeopsal himself. After the meal, they chose "chimaek" (chicken and beer) for the second round.
