First Lady Kim Geon-hee's Diplomatic Debut... Engaging in Cultural and Artistic Exchanges

Communicating with Spouses of Attending Country Leaders at the Art Museum and Opera House Spouse Session

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of President Yoon Seok-yeol, is set to make her 'multilateral diplomacy debut' by accompanying the President to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.

Kim plans to leverage her experience running Kobana Contents, where she organized performances and art exhibitions, to engage in related activities during the event.

According to the Presidential Office on the 27th, Kim will participate in at least five public events, including attending the session for spouses of attending country leaders in Madrid, Spain. A Presidential Office official stated at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office building the previous day, “As already announced in Spain, the official schedule for the spouse is packed.”

The itinerary begins on the 28th (local time) with attendance at a gala dinner hosted by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain at the Madrid Palace.

From the 29th, the official spouse sessions will commence, including tours of the Spanish Royal Palace, the Royal Glass Factory, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sof?a. The Reina Sof?a Museum houses works by Spanish artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dal?, and Joan Mir?.

On the 29th, Kim will attend a dinner meeting with the Korean expatriate community in Spain alongside President Yoon, and on the final day, the 30th, she plans to visit the Royal Opera House to watch a rehearsal.

During the spouse sessions, Kim is expected to actively engage with the spouses of other participating leaders, drawing on her background in curating exhibitions of European artists' works.

As the former CEO of Kobana Contents, Kim curated exhibitions such as the 'Fauvist Masterpieces' featuring Picasso, French painters Henri Matisse and Andr? Derain, as well as exhibitions of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, French painter Paul Gauguin, and Swiss architect Le Corbusier.

Attention is also focused on whether Kim will meet Jill Biden, the spouse of U.S. President Joe Biden. Although Jill Biden did not accompany the U.S. President to the Korea-U.S. summit on the 21st of last month, she is expected to attend the spouse sessions this time.

In the past, Kim gifted Jill Biden a catalog of an exhibition of Russian-born American painter Mark Rothko, which Kim had personally curated, along with a small traditional-patterned jewelry box.