Business is still conducted between people, not just between companies.
In the neon-lit heart of Seoul's Gangnam district, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang broke bread — and fried chicken — with two of Asia's most powerful industrial leaders, signaling that the most consequential technology alliances of our era are still forged between human beings before they are signed between corporations. Huang's first South Korea visit in over a decade culminated in landmark supply deals with Samsung, Hyundai, and SK Group, partnerships framed not merely as commerce but as a quiet realignment of technological and geopolitical gravity between the United States and East Asia. The evening's carefully casual staging — the beer, the gifts, the raised glass — was itself a message: that trust, in any culture, remains the oldest infrastructure of all.
- Nvidia, fresh off becoming the first company to reach a five-trillion-dollar valuation, is moving aggressively to anchor itself in Asia's most critical industrial ecosystems.
- The stakes are geopolitical as much as commercial — Huang openly framed the deals as moves designed to satisfy both Washington and Seoul, threading the needle of US-South Korea tech diplomacy.
- A viral video of Huang sharing fried chicken and beer with Samsung's Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai's Euisun Chung disrupted the usual sterile choreography of corporate deal-making, drawing crowds of hundreds into Gangnam's streets.
- Huang distributed AI computers inscribed with partnership pledges, turning gift-giving into a public ritual of alliance in a culture where such gestures carry deep relational weight.
- The formal supply deal announcements followed the next morning — but the real negotiation had already landed, sealed over a shared meal in a restaurant whose name means 'trusted friend.'
Jensen Huang touched down in Seoul for his first official visit in over a decade and, by nightfall, was seated at Kkanbu Chicken in Gangnam — a local chain whose name translates roughly to "trusted partner" — alongside Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Executive Chairman Euisun Chung. A video of the three men together spread rapidly across social media, drawing hundreds of onlookers to the upscale district and catching the public entirely off guard.
The evening was anything but accidental. Huang stood during the meal to announce he was covering dinner for everyone in the restaurant, urging the crowd to eat and drink freely. When he stepped outside, he handed baskets of fried chicken and cheese to the fans who had gathered on the street — a gesture that felt spontaneous but bore the hallmarks of deliberate stagecraft. The Nvidia CEO, known for taking selfies and engaging directly with crowds, was entirely in character.
The deeper business came through the gifts. Huang presented each executive with an AI computer, every box carrying the same inscription: "To our partnership and future of the world." He linked arms with both men for a ceremonial shot — a gesture of solidarity that resonated in a culture where such rituals are taken seriously. The message was unmistakable: this was a public declaration of alliance, not merely a dinner.
The following day, Nvidia announced landmark supply deals with Samsung, Hyundai, and SK Group — three pillars of South Korea's industrial economy. Huang had previewed the announcements as moves that would "please both President Trump and South Korea," framing them explicitly as geopolitical as well as commercial. He was also set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit and had expressed interest in meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
What the Gangnam restaurant made visible was a much larger strategic shift: Nvidia deepening its roots across Asian technology and automotive sectors, and doing so through the oldest method available — sitting down together, sharing a meal, and making the alliance feel personal before it becomes contractual. The viral video was not a byproduct of the evening. It was its purpose.
Jensen Huang arrived in South Korea on Thursday for his first official visit to the country in more than a decade, and by evening he was sitting in a Gangnam restaurant with two of Asia's most powerful executives, eating fried chicken and drinking beer. The Nvidia CEO spent the night at Kkanbu Chicken, a local chain whose name translates loosely to "close friend" or "trusted partner," alongside Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung. A video of the three men together circulated widely on social media, catching fans off guard and drawing hundreds of onlookers to the upscale Seoul district.
The gathering was part of a deliberate charm offensive. Huang, dressed in a black t-shirt and dark trousers, stood up during the meal and raised a glass to everyone inside the restaurant, announcing that dinner was his treat. He urged the assembled diners to enjoy the chicken and beer without restraint. When he emerged onto the street afterward, he handed out baskets of fried chicken and cheese to the crowds that had gathered outside, a gesture that felt both spontaneous and carefully calibrated. The Nvidia CEO, whose company became the first to reach a five trillion dollar market valuation, has built a reputation for accessibility—taking selfies with fans, engaging directly with crowds. He did not break character here.
But the evening's real business lay in the gifts. Huang presented each executive with an AI computer, each box inscribed with the same message: "To our partnership and future of the world." He linked arms with Lee and Chung and took a shot with them, a symbolic gesture of friendship and trust that played well in a culture where such rituals carry weight. The staging was unmistakable: this was not just a meal between corporate leaders, but a public declaration of alliance.
Huang's visit to South Korea was timed with precision. On Friday, Nvidia announced landmark supply deals with Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, and SK Group—three of the country's most consequential industrial players. The CEO had signaled beforehand that these announcements would "please US President Donald Trump and South Korea," framing the partnerships not merely as commercial transactions but as geopolitical moves. He was also scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit that same day and had expressed interest in meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
What unfolded in that Seoul restaurant was the visible face of a much larger strategic repositioning. Nvidia's deepening ties with South Korean tech and automotive companies represent a significant expansion of the company's footprint in Asia, and they signal something broader about how American technology firms are now operating in the region. The deals themselves—the specifics of what Nvidia will supply, in what volumes, at what terms—would be announced formally. But the real negotiation had already happened, or was happening now, over beer and fried chicken, in a space designed to feel intimate rather than corporate. Huang understood the assignment: in South Korea, business is still conducted between people, not just between companies. The video that went viral was not an accident. It was the point.
Citas Notables
To our partnership and future of the world— Message inscribed on AI computers gifted by Jensen Huang to Samsung and Hyundai executives
These deals would please US President Donald Trump and South Korea— Jensen Huang, on the strategic significance of the announcements
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Huang choose to do this so publicly? Why not just have a quiet dinner?
Because in South Korea, the public gesture matters as much as the private deal. He was signaling to the entire country that Nvidia is serious about partnership, not just extraction. The video going viral wasn't a side effect—it was the whole point.
But doesn't that feel performative? Handing out chicken to crowds outside?
It does. But that's not a criticism in this context. Huang knows his audience. He's the CEO of the world's most valuable chipmaker. If he shows up in Seoul and acts like a regular person, sharing a meal and buying dinner for strangers, it humanizes the power imbalance. It says: we're partners, not overlords.
What about the AI computers he gave them? That seems like the real gift.
Absolutely. But notice the framing. He didn't hand them over in a boardroom. He did it at a restaurant, in front of cameras, with a note about partnership and the future. The gift itself is less important than the context in which it was given. It's saying: this is what we're building together, and we're doing it publicly.
Do you think Trump's involvement changes how we should read this?
Huang mentioned it explicitly—that these deals would please Trump and South Korea. He's threading a needle. He's not just doing business; he's doing statecraft. Nvidia is positioning itself as the company that can bridge American interests and South Korean industrial capacity. That's a much bigger play than just selling chips.
So the beer and chicken was diplomacy?
It was diplomacy dressed up as casualness. Which is maybe the most effective kind.