South Korean President hosts AI leaders, discusses economy and camaraderie

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung hosted a casual dinner in San Francisco, bringing together prominent figures from the global AI industry and South Korea's leading business executives. The gathering, held at The Lamp restaurant, aimed to foster open dialogue and strengthen ties, echoing the informal atmosphere of previous business meetings.

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If I say 'We are', you say 'Family'.

During the event, President Lee initiated a "We are family" chant with attendees, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin. Huang responded with "We are family" in English, highlighting the camaraderie.

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We are family.

A moment of levity occurred when Deputy Prime Minister Bae Hyun-joon offered to pay for the dinner. Jensen Huang playfully suggested ordering more beer and treating everyone, to which President Lee humorously declined, citing Bae's status as a public official. This exchange drew laughter from the attendees.

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You can order more beer. Treat everyone here to a beer.

President Lee also shared positive economic outlooks for South Korea, projecting that the country's GDP growth would exceed 3% this year, a significant increase from the previous year's near 1% growth. He credited the attending business leaders for this anticipated economic performance. In a private conversation, Huang reportedly reassured Lee that stock prices, which had been experiencing adjustments, would rise again.

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He's a public official, so he can't.