 | ▲First lady Kim Yoon-ok (seventh from right) poses with spouses of leaders in Seoul to attend the Nuclear Security Summit before an official lunch at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. (From left) Friedrun Sabine Burkhalter, wife of the Swiss foreign minister; Margarida Barroso, wife of the European Commission president; Gursharan Kaur, wife of the Indian prime minister; Elsa Antonioli Monti wife of Italy’s prime minister; Noorainee Abdul Rahman of the Malay vice prime minister; Yoo Soon-taek, wife of the U.N. Secretary-General; Elenita S.Binay, wife of the Filipino vice president; Ani Bambang Yudhoyono, wife of the Indonesian president; Kim; Nompumelelo Zuma, wife of the South African president; Patience Jonathan, wife of the Nigerian president; Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, wife of the president of Gabon; Tran Thanh Kiem, wife of Vietnam’s prime minister; Cecilia Morel de Pinera, wife of the Chilean president and Emine Erdogan, wife of the prime minister of Turkey. (Yonhap News)
ⓒYonhap News |
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South Korean first lady Kim Yoon-ok hosted a luncheon and cultural performances on March 27, Tuesday for the visiting spouses of global leaders attending the ongoing Nuclear Security Summit.
Seventeen spouses came to Seoul with heads of state and leaders of key international organizations for the global conference, one of the largest international events South Korea has ever hosted.
Kim welcomed 15 spouses at the presidential office where they were served a Korean traditional meal with a “Spring of Korea” theme, accompanied by various performances.
The Turkish and Chinese first ladies did not participate for unknown reasons. As an active promoter of Korean cuisine, Kim stepped up her culinary diplomacy by offering choices of japchae, stirfried glass noodles with vegetables, and kimchijeon, savory kimchi pancakes.
After the meal, the spouses enjoyed a performance titled “Queen’s Morning,” featuring hanbok, a traditional Korean costume. A pop music concert by boy band JYJ and Korean ballad singer Seong Si-kyung took place later on. Following the performance, Korean Wave stars hit the stage. Three-member boy group JYJ and ballad singer Seong Si-kyung sang two songs each. JYJ, who are also PR ambassadors for the Nuclear Security Summit, sang hits including “Be My Girl,” while Seong, nicknamed the ballad prince, sang his latest single “First Time.” “First lady Kim strove to introduce Korean culture that truly embodies the past and the present,” an official at the presidential office said. “She put her utmost efforts to successfully host the country’s biggest international gathering to date.”
The attendees included those from Gabon, Nigeria, South Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Switzerland, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Italy, Chile, Turkey, the Philippines, the United Nations, and the European Union.
By Cho Chung-un
(Yonhap News) | 
