President Lee Attends Orchid Naming Ceremony During Singapore State Visit... Names Orchid "Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung"

President Lee: "It is an honor to have my name given to the orchid"

Official welcoming ceremony also held

During his state visit to Singapore, President Jae-myung Lee attended an orchid naming ceremony at the Singapore Government Building on March 2, where he named a type of tropical orchid in the Vanda genus as "Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung."

President Jae-myung Lee and First Lady Hye-kyung Kim, who were on a state visit to Singapore, participated in an orchid naming ceremony with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mrs. Jane Ithogi Shanmugaratnam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Singapore on the 2nd, following an official welcoming ceremony. The orchid naming ceremony is an event where a newly cultivated orchid species is named after a distinguished guest, a unique diplomatic custom in Singapore, which considers orchids as the national flower. Yonhap News Agency

The orchid naming ceremony was attended by President Lee, First Lady Hye-kyung Kim, and Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam along with Mrs. Jane Ithogi Shanmugaratnam. Orchids are the national flower of Singapore, and it is a diplomatic tradition for the Singaporean government to name a newly cultivated orchid species after distinguished guests such as visiting heads of state.

At the event, a representative from the Singapore Botanic Gardens explained that the newly cultivated orchid was designed to symbolize the "Geon-Gon" (Heaven and Earth) elements of the Korean national flag, and expressed hopes that it would become a symbol of the growing relationship between Korea and Singapore. In response, President Lee remarked, "It is truly an honor to have my name given to such a beautiful and fragrant orchid."

Earlier, in front of the main building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tharman hosted an official welcoming ceremony in honor of President Lee's state visit. President Lee attended the event wearing a black suit with a blue tie and a badge of the Korean national flag on his left chest. After shaking hands with President Tharman, he received a guard of honor inspection from the honor guard.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.