NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won gathered together once again in New York on the 28th (local time).

The gathering was held to congratulate CEO Huang on receiving the James A. Van Fleet Award.

The Korea Society, a Korea-U.S. non-profit friendship organization, presented the Van Fleet Award to CEO Huang on this day in recognition of "his pioneering leadership and innovative contributions to the AI semiconductor industry, which is a core sector of Korea-U.S. economic cooperation."

Chairman Lee and Chairman Chey attended the annual gala, which doubled as the award ceremony, in person to offer their congratulations.

They showed off their close ties with CEO Huang and exchanged cheerful well-wishes.

First, Chairman Lee mentioned that his late father, Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, also received the Van Fleet Award 20 years ago, beginning by saying, "I don't think anyone is more deserving of this award than Jensen."

Chairman Lee stated, "He has placed his company at the center of everything happening in AI today, redefined what computing can do, and is now powering industries worldwide and helping build something much greater. That is the true partnership and true impact between the U.S. and Korea."

In particular, Chairman Lee drew laughter from the crowd by saying, "Aside from all this, the two of us have three things in common. Both of our companies are 'all-in.'"

He continued, "Both of us have a daughter named Madison, and the third is that we both love the Galaxy Z Fold 8."

Taking the stage next, Chairman Chey said, "Every time I meet Jensen, his question is, 'Can you make it faster?' much like Korean people who say 'ppalli-ppalli' [hurry, hurry]."

Chairman Chey added, "We click well together. NVIDIA takes charge of the design and the brains, and SK makes the memory."

He then explained, "But whenever Jensen forgets something, he knows exactly who to call," noting that SK and NVIDIA formed an alliance seven years ago and that CEO Huang stands at the forefront.

Proposing a toast, Chairman Chey said, "I am truly glad to be your partner, and I hope our partnership grows even faster than the demand for GPUs."

(Photo: Yonhap News)