Diners at a bustling Seoul fried chicken joint got the surprise of their lives on Thursday when three billionaires walked in and ended up paying everyone’s bill.
The trio included Jensen Huang, CEO of AI chip powerhouse Nvidia, now the world’s most valuable company; Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; and Chung Eui-sun, executive chair of Hyundai Motor Group.
Before heading to the APEC summit in Gyeongju, the three stopped at Kkanbu Chicken, one of the capital’s best-known spots for chimaek – the iconic Korean pairing of fried chicken and cold draft beer.
“I love fried chicken and beer with my friends, so Kkanbu is a perfect place, right?” Huang told live-streaming onlookers as he arrived. The restaurant’s name, Kkanbu, also means “close friend” in Korean slang.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the billionaires tucked into cheese balls, cheese sticks, boneless chicken, and fried chicken, washing it down with Terra beer and soju, Korea’s beloved rice spirit.
Local media footage captured the trio, whose combined net worth is around $195 billion, linking arms for a traditional drinking gesture that cements friendship in Korean culture.
The three stepped outside to share food with curious bystanders. “The chicken wings was so good. Have you been here before? It’s incredible, right?” Huang said, holding up a basket and offering, “Anyone? Fried chicken?”
The crowd erupted in cheers when Huang rang the restaurant’s “golden bell” which is a signal that he would cover everyone’s bill. However, Samsung’s Lee picked up the tab, while Hyundai’s Chung generously paid for a second round, Yonhap reported.
Their relaxed night out came amid high-level diplomatic meetings in South Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping, fresh from trade talks with US President Donald Trump, is among the leaders attending the APEC summit in Gyeongju.
Access to advanced AI chips such as the kind that have driven Nvidia’s valuation to nearly $5 trillion, remains one of the key issues in tense US-China trade negotiations.
On Friday, Huang met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the summit and announced that Nvidia will supply more than 260,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to South Korean companies, including those led by his dining companions.
According to the presidential office, Huang also confirmed that Nvidia will partner with Samsung, Hyundai, Naver, and SK to advance “physical AI” – technologies like AI-powered autonomous vehicles that merge artificial intelligence with the real world.