Jensen Huang joined the heads of SK, LG and Naver, highlighting Korea’s central role in Nvidia’s AI ambitions. From right: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin share pork belly and soju at Hyeongnim Jeoyo, a restaurant in Hongdae, Seoul, Friday. (Pool photo via Yonhap) Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with some of South Korea’s most influential business leaders over Korean barbecue, soju and beer Friday in Seoul, kicking off a closely watched trip with fanfare, selfies and Korean food culture.Huang arrived at Hyeongnim Jeoyo — roughly translated as “Bro, it’s me” — a pork belly restaurant in the popular Hongdae neighborhood, where he joined SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver founder and Chairman Lee Hae-jin for dinner. After dinner, the group was reportedly set to stop by a nearby karaoke bar, extending the evening through the stops of a classic Korean-style company dinner.At the restaurant, Huang and the business chiefs shared somaek, a popular Korean mix of soju and beer. Huang joined the local drinking ritual, stirring the drink with a spoon before raising his glass."Go Korea! SK, LG, Naver, cheers!" Huang shouted with the three Korean business leaders.Stepping outside during the dinner to speak to reporters, Huang said he came to Korea to thank Nvidia’s local partners after what he called an “incredible year.”"Business is booming! Bbang!" Huang said, using the Korean word for "boom.""Korea is doing very well; my partners in Korea are very important to me. So I came to Korea to thank them, celebrate and congratulate them for such an incredible year. This is just a beginning," Huang said."My big gift (to Korea) is that I brought four new businesses: Vera Rubin, Vera, RTX Spark, Jetson Thor. Of course, we are also building a very prominent research center here," Huang said. He noted that the new products use memory chips made by Korean suppliers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, such as high-bandwidth memory and LPDDR5 chips.He also pointed to Nvidia’s growing partnerships with Hyundai Motor Group in robotics, as well as with LG Group, SK, Samsung and Naver, saying they were all “booming.”The Nvidia chief also leaned into Korean pop culture and food, saying he was in Korea not only for business but also to enjoy the country’s culture."They have some great barbecue corn, some HBM crackers, very good crackers. The world's best fried chicken. (And I will) enjoy some Korean culture, K-pop. Maybe watch a K-drama. K-drama always makes me want to cry."Earlier in the day, Huang made his first official stop at T1 Base Camp, a PC bang, or internet cafe, operated by Korean esports powerhouse T1 in Hongdae. There, he met Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, T1’s captain and widely regarded as the greatest League of Legends player of all time.“That was my first stop to recognize that GeForce and Korea have been friends for 25 years,” Huang said, stressing how his company started in gaming with the graphics cards. “And my friend Faker. Do you know Faker? Unbelievable. Incredible gamer.”During dinner, the business leaders went outside to distribute boxes of doughnuts and Korean snacks to the crowd. One of the snacks, honey-banana-flavored chips made by SK hynix, drew attention for its initials — HBM — a playful nod to high-bandwidth memory chips made by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics.Huang’s daughter Madison was also present at the venue, though she sat at a separate table.Hundreds of people gathered near the restaurant hours before the meal began around 7 p.m., hoping to catch a glimpse of Huang and the Korean business leaders.The Nvidia chief’s Korea trip comes as the company works to align its supply chain with key Korean partners for its next wave of AI infrastructure. Huang said earlier Friday that Korea would play an important role in Nvidia’s expansion, citing the country’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, memory chips, robotics and AI infrastructure.