Will Nvidia's Huang have samgyeopsal summit in Korea? The Kospi's betting on it.

This article is by Jeong Jae-hong, Park Eun-jee, Cho Yong-jun and read by an artificial voice. The now-famous "Kkanbu meeting" — a casual gathering of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung at a chicken joint last October — may soon get a sequel. As Huang prepares for another Korea visit this week, local media are already speculating about a " samgyeopsal meeting" on Friday, with reports pointing to a pork belly restaurant in Seoul's trendy Seongsu district as a possible venue. This time, the companions are expected to be Hyundai's Chung, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Koo Kwang-mo, Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin and Doosan Chairman Park Jeong-won, prompting the shares of the companies to shoot up on Monday. Samsung's Lee is highly likely to be absent this time, as the gathering overlaps with an overseas trip. The visit will follow Nvidia's GTC conference in Taipei, Taiwan, alongside the Computex 2026 trade show, where he unveiled new products and platforms, including the Vera Rubin architecture and the Vera CPU designed for AI agents. SK's Chey participated in the conference as the group's chip unit, SK hynix, stands as a primary memory supplier for Nvidia's high-performing chips. Even before the visit, Korea's stock market rode the hype surrounding the iconic tech guru. LG Group affiliates, such as electronic component manufacturer LG Innotek and information technology company LG CNS, gained significantly, in line with the recent winning streak. Internet giant Naver rose 16.03 percent after climbing 14.15 percent in the previous session. Physical AI is expected to be a key topic during Huang's visit. The technology refers to AI systems that operate in the physical world, such as robotics, autonomous driving and smart factories. "The first round of meetings focused largely on factories and semiconductors," said Kim Doo-un, an analyst at Hana Securities. "This time, the discussions are expected to expand into physical AI and platforms." The market is also drawing on the so-called learning effect from Huang's previous visit. Since the Oct. 30 outing last year, shares of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor have risen 235 percent and 183 percent, respectively. Huang met up with the chiefs for a special chimaek (chicken and beer) at Kkanbu Chicken in Seoul. "The fact that Jensen Huang is returning to Korea just seven months later — and apparently for business reasons alone — suggests Nvidia's dependence on Korea has grown significantly," said Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities. Some analysts, however, cautioned that investors may be getting ahead of themselves. "A photo op is a one-day story, but memorandums of understanding, joint development projects, data centers, robotics platforms and smart factories can create long-term momentum," said Kim Doo-un, an analyst at Hana Securities. "What matters isn't who meets Jensen Huang. It's who can generate recurring revenue within Nvidia's ecosystem." Another anticipated stop includes Naver's new office during his trip to Korea this week, drawing attention to the possibility of expanded AI cooperation between the two companies. Huang is coordinating with Naver to stop by its 1784 building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, with June 8 considered the most probable date for his visit, industry sources said on Monday. Naver has been expanding its physical AI business on the back of its AI, cloud and digital twin technologies, and some expect the scope of its strategic cooperation with Nvidia to bolster those efforts. Naver 1784 is right next to the company's headquarters, and this proximity brings together advanced technologies, including robots, cloud computing, digital twins and a dedicated 5G network. AMD CEO Lisa Su also visited the building during a trip to Korea in March, when she met with Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon and other executives. During this meeting, Naver and AMD signed a memorandu...