NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang recently met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae Yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui Sun for a casual chicken-and-beer outing, and the internet is buzzing.
The trio was spotted Thursday at Kkanbu Chicken, a trendy spot in Seoul’s Gangnam district, bonding over Korea’s favorite comfort food. Huang gushed, “The warmth of Korean people is unmatched. These hangouts are always a blast.”
On the same day, Aju News reported that certain online communities, known for their specific demographic focus, were buzzing with searches related to Korea-U.S. tariff talks.
On a forum popular with women in their 20s and 30s, posts about the meetup flooded in with headlines such as “Jensen Huang’s Kkanbu Chicken Encore,” “The 1996 Letter from Samsung’s Late Chairman Lee Kun Hee to Jensen Huang,” “Plot Twist: Jensen Huang’s Korean Guardian Angel,” “Lee Jae Yong’s Impromptu Autograph Session,” and “The Power Trio Takes the Stage: Jensen Huang, Lee Jae Yong, and Chung Eui-sun (+extras).”
One user shared a historic tidbit:
“Back in 1983, Samsung’s founder Lee Byung Chul met a 28-year-old Steve Jobs. The young visionary flew to Suwon, Korea, to discuss semiconductors for his Apple computer with the 73-year-old chairman. Talk about game recognizing game.”
Comments were lively and humorous, with users posting things like “I can smell the soju through my screen,” “Kkanbu Chicken’s about to go international,” “Chung Eui Sun looks like he’s malfunctioning—hilarious!,” “Soak up that 700 trillion KRW (484 billion USD) energy,” “Welcome to Kkanbudia,” and “Did the owner hit the jackpot in his dreams or what?”
The meetup also caught fire in male-dominated, conservative online spaces. Real-time photos and throwback quotes from Huang circulated quickly. News that the Kkanbu Chicken owner personally served the VIPs—and that Huang had returned for a company dinner—sent netizens into a frenzy.
Comments ranged from questions about whether it was a stealth ad campaign and remarks like “Talk about free publicity!” and “If you’ve got it, flaunt it,” to observations such as “For a small business pulling in 30 billion KRW (21 million USD) with 5 billion KRW (3.45 million USD) in profits, you gotta hustle,” “Gotta leave a lasting impression on the big three,” and “Even if they drafted their whole family to serve, it wouldn’t be enough.” Photos of their “cheers” moment and tipsy antics quickly went viral, with social media reactions including “Even Mr. 700 Trillion is licking his fingers—I’m never leaving a crumb of chicken again!,” “If Lee Jae Yong can go all in on chicken, what’s my excuse?,” “G-Dragon’s star power is off the charts,” and “Fingers crossed for Samsung stock tomorrow!”
From women-centric forums to conservative male spaces, the meetup has captured the imagination of online users across Korea, blending business, history, and a love of chicken into a viral sensation.
