Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is expected to meet with leading domestic corporations at a restaurant near Hongdae in Mapo District, instead of Seongsu-dong as initially mentioned.
According to the IT industry on the 5th, Huang is scheduled to arrive around 1 p.m. via Gimpo Airport.
After a brief comment on arrival and a Q&A with reporters at the airport, Huang is said to be heading in the evening to the samgyeopsal specialty restaurant "Hyungnim Joyo" near Hongdae Ipgu Station for a dinner with leading corporations.
Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of LG Group, and Lee Hae-jin, chair of Naver, are said to be attending the meeting. Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, was reportedly coordinating until the last minute whether to attend, considering his schedule.
A restaurant in Seongsu-dong had been strongly mentioned as the venue, but it appears to have been changed to Hongdae Ipgu in consideration of safety and movement routes.
Industry watchers say the selection process took into account a friendly and popular image. In addition to the familiarity conveyed by the restaurant name "Hyungnim Joyo," choosing a samgyeopsal place priced in the 10,000-won range per serving instead of a high-end restaurant suggests an attempt to hold the meeting in a more relaxed atmosphere. Some interpret it as being in a similar vein to the so-called "gganbu meeting" that drew attention last year.
Also, because the venue is in the busy Hongdae Ipgu area and there is a large open space in front of the restaurant, there is talk that Huang could naturally interact with citizens.
This is Huang's first trip to Korea in about seven months since October last year. During his last visit, Huang drew attention when he met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun at a chicken restaurant in Samseong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul.
Industry watchers expect that during this visit Huang will discuss cooperation plans with domestic corporations in a range of fields, including robots, automobiles, games, and cloud infrastructure.