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NVIDIA’s CEO, Jensen Huang, participated in the ‘GeForce’ 25th-anniversary celebration at COEX in Seoul on the 30th. Prior to this, he enjoyed ‘chimaek’ (chicken and beer) with Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, at Kkanbu Chicken. GeForce, NVIDIA’s initial GPU (graphics processing unit), introduced in 1999, is mainly utilized for gaming. It became available in South Korea in 2000.

Huang stepped onto the stage and remarked, “I visited Korea as a child,” then added, “GeForce has developed alongside Korea.” He pointed out, “Korea exports everything,” mentioning “K-pop, K-dramas, K-beauty, K-style, and K-GeForce.”

He stated, “I attended APEC at the invitation of President Lee Jae-myung,” and continued, “When I first arrived in Korea, we were a small company, but now we have come back as the largest in the world.” He connected with the audience by saying, “There are many NVIDIA investors here,” which prompted applause. He also exclaimed “Thank you” five times.

Huang remarked, “Without GeForce, without PC gaming, without PC bangs, and without e-sports, there wouldn’t be the NVIDIA we know today.” He also acknowledged GeForce’s role in driving the AI revolution.

Huang presented Lee and Chung on stage as “friends who enjoyed chimaek.” When the two chairmen joined him, Huang gave them a high-five and a hug. He commended, “Korea has the finest chicken in the world,” and continued, “Soju and beer are the best.”

Huang shared a previous relationship with the late former chairman of Samsung Group, Lee Kun-hee. He mentioned, “In 1996, I got a letter from Korea—not through email, but by regular mail,” and called it “well-written.” He disclosed, “The letter from an unknown individual included a ‘vision for Korea,’ and he shared its details: ‘First, connect all Korean citizens and households to broadband internet so no one is left out. Second, introduce video games to Korea. Third, support the launch of the world’s first video game Olympics.’”

Huang stated, “Can you imagine that this letter is the reason I traveled to Korea?” and continued, “I want everyone to understand that Korea has always been a key focus for our company (NVIDIA).” He expressed gratitude to the audience, saying, “You contributed to NVIDIA’s success,” and added, “Korea is set to achieve remarkable things in the future.”

Lee Jae-yong quipped, “Why do all of you own so many iPhones?” He elaborated, “25 years ago, NVIDIA introduced the ‘GeForce 256’ utilizing GDDR DRAM from Samsung Semiconductor,” and mentioned, “That’s when our collaboration started, and that’s how my friendship with Jensen began.” He further stated, “NVIDIA is a major client and strategic partner for Samsung, but I’m also here because Jensen is my friend.” He commended Huang as “one of the greatest innovators of this time, an inspiring leader,” and described him as “truly kind and charming.” He urged the audience to give a round of applause.

Chung Eui-sun started with a joke: “You might not believe it from my looks, but both of them are like older brothers to me.” He said, “My child enjoys *League of Legends (L.O.L)*, so I played it with them,” and mentioned, “NVIDIA chips were clearly involved.” He added, “Current and future NVIDIA chips will be used in cars and robotics, and we will work together,” promising, “We’ll definitely make it possible to play games in cars.”