'Slip of the Tongue' Biden Refers to President Yoon as 'Hu·Si President'

U.S. President Joe Biden once again made a verbal slip during a speech. While talking about his visit to Korea in May 2022, he mistakenly said the wrong surname for President Yoon Seok-yeol.

On the 19th (local time) during a speech at the Economic Club in Washington DC, President Biden said, "Early in my term, despite skepticism from our team and the Democratic majority, I visited Korea to meet with the Korean president and the CEO of Samsung," but referred to President Yoon as "Hu, Si president."

After pausing briefly, President Biden repeated the reference to President Yoon, this time saying “President Hu.”

This has led to analysis suggesting he confused the surnames of China's President Xi Jinping and President Yoon. The reference to President Hu is interpreted as recalling former Chinese President Hu Jintao.

U.S. President Joe Biden made another verbal slip during a speech. While talking about his visit to Korea in May 2022, he mispronounced President Yoon Suk-yeol's last name.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The transcript posted on the White House website shows that the part where Biden first said "Hu, Si president" is marked as "president (inaudible)." The following title is recorded as "President Hu."

In May as well, during a fundraising event in California, President Biden mistakenly referred to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as the "Korean president," targeting former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, saying, "We will never forget his love letters for Korean President Kim Jong-un or his admiration for Putin."

In November last year, during a visit to Korean companies investing in the U.S., he called President Yoon "Mister Moon," seemingly confusing President Yoon with former President Moon Jae-in.