Biden Meets Emperor, Nods with Crossed Legs... Yoon Also Crossed His Legs Together

Photo by President Joe Biden Twitter

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] U.S. President Joe Biden, who visited Japan, attracted attention for neither bowing nor shaking hands during his meeting with Emperor Naruhito (德仁). A video also revealed that he sat with his legs crossed during their conversation.

On the 24th (local time), the White House released a video on President Biden’s official Twitter account showing his visit to Japan on the 23rd. The video captured President Biden having a conversation indoors with Emperor Naruhito.

In the video, President Biden is seen sitting upright with his legs crossed. During the conversation, he sometimes clasped his hands or comfortably rested them on his thigh.

In contrast, the Emperor leaned forward and placed his hands together on his legs. When the Emperor spoke with a smile, President Biden slowly nodded.

Through Twitter, President Biden stated, "It was a great day meeting Emperor Naruhito and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida," adding, "The United States and Japan are demonstrating the strengths of democratic nations through action." He further said, "The U.S. and Japan are cooperating to create opportunities and achieve prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden are holding a small-scale summit at the presidential office in the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 21st. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, during the South Korea-U.S. summit held on the 21st at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, President Biden was also sitting with his legs crossed.

President Yoon Seok-yeol was also sitting with his legs crossed facing President Biden. This posture was previously unseen from President Yoon, who had been involved in controversy over his wide-legged stance.

President Yoon’s shoes that day also became a topic of discussion. Due to plantar fasciitis, President Yoon usually prefers wearing comfortable shoes without heels. It was reported that First Lady Kim Keon-hee advised him, saying, "Since the South Korea-U.S. summit is a special event, it would be better to dress formally," leading him to wear a pair of shoes he had worn at their 2012 wedding, cleaned and polished.