President Lee Fosters Friendship with Tea Gathering and Stroll at Sangchunjae
Leaders Enjoy Traditional Performances with National Instruments
Sangchunjae Gathering Represents the Highest Level of Hospitality
State Banquet Held at the Blue House Guest House the Previous Day
On August 12, President Lee Jaemyung and the First Lady hosted a performance and tea gathering at Sangchunjae in the Blue House with General Secretary To Lam of the Communist Party of Vietnam and his spouse, who are on a state visit. This is the first time President Lee has held an event at Sangchunjae since his inauguration. Sangchunjae is a space used for welcoming foreign dignitaries or for unofficial meetings. According to the Office of the President, this marks the first official event at Sangchunjae since the launch of the Lee administration, and hosting a state guest at Sangchunjae is regarded as the highest form of hospitality.
The leaders of both countries and their spouses enjoyed a performance featuring traditional instruments from Korea and Vietnam. Korea presented a performance of "Pyeonsudaeyeop - Moran-eun," featuring vocalist Jo Younyoung and musicians playing the geomungo, yanggeum, piri, and janggu. The Vietnam National Traditional Orchestra performed with the Vietnamese traditional instrument "Dan Da." Additionally, the leaders and their spouses tried playing the Dan Da themselves, and General Secretary To Lam provided President Lee and the First Lady with a detailed explanation of the instrument. President Lee remarked that the sound of the Dan Da is "the true sound of nature."
Afterwards, the leaders and their spouses enjoyed tea at Sangchunjae and strolled through Nokjiwon, expressing deep interest in each other's cultures and strengthening their friendship. During the gathering, President Lee highlighted the cultural closeness between the two countries and said, "Korea and Vietnam have an inseparable relationship, and we should actively work together for mutual growth and cooperation." General Secretary To Lam responded, "Let us further develop the cooperative relationship between our two countries."
According to the Office of the President, the tea gathering at Sangchunjae was arranged in consideration of General Secretary To Lam and his spouse’s preference for tea. First Lady Kim mentioned a Vietnamese proverb, "Good tea tastes better with good friends," and said that sharing tea with General Secretary To Lam and his spouse made her feel a sense of closeness. Madam Ngo Phuong Ly, the spouse of General Secretary To Lam, expressed her deep gratitude to President Lee and the First Lady, and said she hopes there will be a good opportunity to introduce Vietnamese traditional culture when they visit Vietnam in the future.
Spokesperson Kang Yoojung stated, "Following the state banquet the previous day, today's friendship event at Sangchunjae served to further strengthen the bonds and trust between the leaders and their spouses of both countries," adding, "Over the course of six hours, the leaders engaged in in-depth discussions on ways to advance bilateral relations, including the summit meeting, cooperation document exchange ceremony, joint press announcement, state banquet on the 11th, and the friendship event at Sangchunjae on the 12th."
State Banquet Held at the Blue House Guest House the Previous Day... Vietnamese Leader Extends Invitation for State Visit in the Near Future
The previous day, President Lee hosted a state banquet for General Secretary To Lam at the Blue House Guest House, beginning his toast in Vietnamese with "Xin chao (Hello)" and concluding with "Chuc suc khoe (Wishing you good health)." He also stated, "No matter how expensive, peace is always better than war," and asked, "I hope Vietnam will join us on this journey."
In response, General Secretary To Lam said, "As the Vietnamese people enter a new era of progress, I hope Korea will walk alongside us," and extended a formal invitation for the President and First Lady to visit Vietnam as state guests in the near future.
The banquet was attended by leading business figures, including Chey Taewon, Chairman of SK Group and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chung Euisun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Koo Kwangmo, Chairman of LG Group, and Shin Dongbin, Chairman of Lotte Group. Also present were Lee Jeonghoon, CEO of Seoul Semiconductor, Choi Jinsik, Chairman of Simpac and President of the Korea Federation of SMEs, Kang Hodong, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, and Jung Sanghyuk, President of Shinhan Bank.
From the government, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yooncheol, Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyunghoon, and from the political sphere, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Taenyon, former president of the Korea-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association, and Kim Seokki, Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the People Power Party, attended. From the Office of the President, Chief of Staff Kang Hoonshik and National Security Advisor Wi Seongrak were present.
In addition, a total of 66 representatives from various fields attended, including Park Hangseo, former head coach of the Vietnam national football team, actor Ahn Jaewook, author Hwang Inkyung, who is about to publish the novel "Ah! Ho Chi Minh," and Tran Baomin (DRX), the Vietnamese gamer known as "Leighzpil," the first foreign player in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). From the Vietnamese side, 55 people attended, including General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee, as well as the Ministers of Public Security and National Defense.
The banquet menu featured fusion Korean cuisine using specialty ingredients from Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoojung explained that this was in consideration of the fact that the Hwasan Lee clan, descendants of Vietnamese prince Lee Yong-sang who settled on the Korean Peninsula at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, made Bonghwa their home after the Korean War.
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