Euisun Chung tells Jensen Huang he feels like working with his grandfather

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung has drawn attention for comparing Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's entrepreneurial spirit to that of the late Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung.

Speaking in the lobby of the Hyundai Motor and Kia headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Monday, Chung said Huang's pioneering spirit as an entrepreneur "aligns with that of our late founder," adding, "We share the same thinking, so I feel as though I am working with my grandfather."

Huang, company executives and reporters were present at the event.

Huang responded in kind, calling Chung "a great steward of this amazing company with a long history" and saying it was "a great honor for Nvidia and a great privilege for me to be your good friend and good partner. I love Hyundai."

During a tour of the Yangjae headquarters, Chung showed Huang a water-management robot, the quadruped walking robot "Spot" and the mobility platform "MobED," drawing repeated exclamations of "Amazing" and "Beautiful" from Huang.

The day before, on Sunday, the two leaders shared Pyongyang naengmyeon — a cold noodle dish — at Woraegok, a well-known traditional restaurant near Euljiro in Jung-gu, Seoul. The lunch marked a reunion at the restaurant, whose name translates roughly as "the home you return to," about five months after their so-called "Gganbu meeting" in October last year. Pyongyang naengmyeon was a favorite of the late Chung Ju-yung, who was born in Daptjeon-myeon, Tongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province — now part of North Korea. Woraegok is widely known as a regular haunt of the broader Hyundai family, whose affinity for the restaurant traces back to the founder. Business circles view the choice of venue as Chung's way of treating an honored guest to a dish beloved by his grandfather.

Nvidia is expected to join Hyundai Motor Group's "Saemangeum Project," a plan to build a robot, AI and hydrogen energy innovation hub at Saemangeum with 9 trillion won (about $5.93 billion) in investment. Sources said Chung proposed Nvidia's participation in the project to Huang during the Yangjae headquarters visit. Huang responded enthusiastically, calling it a "Saemangeum AI Valley" and joking that he would "gladly build an Nvidia facility in Saemangeum if there's great pork barbecue."