Why Gabon President Visited a Korean Restaurant During State Visit to China

Four-Day State Visit Since the 18th
Summit with President Xi Jinping on the 19th
Revealed Special Ties with Korea... Also Appeared on Infinite Challenge

Since the 18th, Ali Bongo Ondimba, the President of Gabon, who is on a state visit to China, was confirmed to have dined at a Korean restaurant located in Beijing. During state visits abroad, it is common to hold private dinners mainly with government officials or to use local restaurants that are easy to arrange and secure, so visiting a Korean restaurant is unusual.

According to local sources on the 21st, President Ondimba of Gabon, who has been on a four-day state visit to China since the 18th, had dinner the previous day (the 20th) at a Korean specialty restaurant located in Lidu, Chaoyang District, Beijing. This state visit was made at the invitation of President Xi Jinping to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year. No top local officials, including President Xi, were present at the dinner, and it is reported that President Ondimba requested the Korean menu, which led to the visit.

A famous Korean restaurant Aegangsan located in Lidu, Chaoyang District, Beijing (Photo by Baidu)

The restaurant, operated by Koreans, is located near various embassies, attracting many foreign visitors, and high-end restaurants are densely concentrated there as in other areas. A rare scene unfolded with about 30 official vehicles surrounding the restaurant, including the Hongqi L5 model, a native car brand famous as President Xi’s official vehicle.

Although exchanges with Korea are not frequently publicized and thus not well known, President Ondimba has maintained a deep relationship with Korea for a long time. His father, former Gabonese President Omar Bongo Ondimba, visited Korea four times during his 42-year tenure, meeting former Presidents Park Chung-hee (1975), Chun Doo-hwan (1984), Kim Young-sam (1996), and Roh Moo-hyun (2007). The current president (the son), who has been in power since 2009, also made a memorable appearance on the popular variety show Infinite Challenge (MBC) in 2015. This occurred when he accepted to appear during a project delivering Korean food, starring a Korean who worked as his chief of security.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The day before visiting the Korean restaurant, President Ondimba held a summit with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, agreeing to elevate bilateral relations to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" to promote relationship development and various cooperation. Since the transition to the post-COVID era, President Xi has actively engaged in summit diplomacy, and the joint statement from this summit included achievements such as deepening cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (land and maritime Silk Road), expanding bilateral trade volume, and investment cooperation. According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Ondimba also expressed support for the "One China" principle during the talks.