Lee hosts 'family dinner' with global AI leaders in San Francisco

President Lee Jae Myung gathered with top executives from global technology companies — including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang — for a dinner in San Francisco, raising a toast with the words "We are family." The gathering was a reprise of what has been dubbed the "Kkanbu meeting," a reference to a close-knit bond.

On Friday (local time), Lee hosted the dinner with global big-tech CEOs at an outdoor terrace restaurant overlooking the waterfront in San Francisco.

Attendees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Broadcom President and CEO Hock Tan, Microsoft Azure Hardware President Rani Borkar, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Chairman Euisun Chung and Naver board chairman Lee Hae-jin.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon and Cheong Wa Dae Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom also attended. The combined market cap of the companies represented stood at approximately 17,000 trillion won ($4.76 trillion) based on recent closing prices.

Cheong Wa Dae chief spokesperson Kang Yu-cheong said the dinner was arranged in the same spirit as a previous gathering where participants had naturally bonded — this time sharing local California food and conversation in a relaxed setting.

The menu featured fish and chips, fried calamari, crab cakes and clam chowder, accompanied by light beers.

In an apparent nod to a previous "Kkanbu Chicken" gathering, Lee quipped that "we'll need some chicken" before clinking beer bottles with the attendees in a toast.

"In Korea, family is also called 'sikgu' — people who eat together," Lee said. "Sharing a meal carries great meaning not just in Korea but around the world." He then led a call-and-response toast, shouting "We are —" and prompting the group to reply "— family!"

Huang joined in, responding with "We are family."

Lee also asked Huang whether his youthful days browsing Yongsan Electronics Market had been a major source of energy for him. When Huang said yes, Lee gave a thumbs-up and the two continued their exchange.

Recent stock market movements also came up. When Lee remarked that share prices had been "going through a slight correction lately," Huang drew attention by responding, "They will go back up."

When Deputy Prime Minister Bae offered to pick up the tab — saying "I'll pay for Saturday" — and Huang said he would have another beer, Lee joked, "You can't, because I'm a civil servant." The AI summit was organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Bae covered the dinner costs.

Lee also told the group, "So much has changed in just one year — things are moving really fast. The pace is truly remarkable."

At a closed portion of the dinner, Lee credited the business leaders for helping push South Korea's economic growth rate to its highest level in decades, and urged them to keep contributing to the development of the industrial ecosystem, according to a briefing by Cheong Wa Dae Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said South Korea already ranks among the world's top three in AI, adding that while AI technology is challenging, "it is by no means impossible." He expressed confidence that investment in Korea could produce top-tier frontier AI models in a short period of time.

Huang also said that while it is fine for South Korea to use AI models developed by other countries, the country needs to build its own.

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan urged Lee to give strong support to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — not only for South Korea's sake, but for the global AI market as well.

Kim said in his briefing that South Korean companies have agreed to pursue semiconductor cooperation with global big-tech firms totaling $950 billion — with SK Group committing $750 billion and Samsung Electronics $200 billion.