Lee Hae-jin, Naver's chair, paid for every customer's meal in the restaurant on the evening of the 5th after a "samso (samgyeopsal + soju) gathering" with Jensen Huang, Nvidia's chief executive officer (CEO), and heads of Korea's top conglomerates. He rang the so-called "golden bell." The payment was made with Naver Pay.
Huang arrived at around 7:10 p.m. at the barbecue restaurant Hyungnim Jeoyo near Hongik University in Mapo District, Seoul. Chair Lee and SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won and LG Chair Koo Kwang-mo arrived slightly after 6:50 p.m. and waited for Huang.
At Hyungnim Jeoyo, one serving (180g) of samgyeopsal costs about 14,000 won, making it a popular, affordable spot. The restaurant has Naver Pay (Npay) Connect, Naver Pay's offline payment terminal, installed.
To expand its payment service from online to offline, Naver Pay introduced its own terminal in Nov. last year. It supports traditional credit card payments, mobile QR code payments, and FaceSign payments, which complete a transaction by simply showing your face. Naver says it has marketing strengths by linking reviews, Smart Place, and Naver Map. Lee used the FaceSign payment method.
After the meal, Koo met with reporters and said, "Chair Lee Hae-jin paid with Naver Pay." At the table where Huang and the business leaders sat, Koo, the "youngest," took the tongs and grilled the meat himself. Koo said, "I grilled a lot of meat. Ah, I think I'm tipsy."
As Huang left the restaurant, when asked "Who paid?" he said, "I hope the richest person does." At the "Kkanbu gathering" last Oct. at Kkanbu Chicken in Samseong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, where Huang met Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chair Chung Eui-sun, Lee picked up the bill.
Huang and the business leaders then moved to the Hongdae Entrance branch of BBQ Chicken, a well-known Korean fried chicken chain, for a second round.