South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his US counterpart Joe Biden visited the War Veterans Memorial on Tuesday (local time). of Korea, in Washington, as part of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.
Yoon and Biden each laid a wreath and bowed silently as they paid tribute to the South Korean and American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 conflict.The first ladies of South Korea and the US – Kim Keon Hee and Jill Biden – stood behind them.
The two couples then stopped in front of the Wall of Remembrance, which was added to the monument last year.The wall displays the names of more than 43,000 South Korean and American soldiers killed during the war.
It was the first time that Yoon and Biden met after the South Korean president’s arrival in Washington the day before for a six
They plan to hold a summit and attend a state dinner at the White House on Wednesday.
Before heading to the memorial, Biden and his wife Jill gave Yoon and Kim a tour of the White House, according to presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon.
In the Blue Room, Yoon and Kim signed a guest book and a photo book commemorating the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.Along with the US presidential couple, they too stepped out onto a balcony to take in the views of Washington and the surrounding area.
Lee said the two couples discussed various topics in a friendly atmosphere, from their mutual interests to people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as the administrative philosophies of the two countries.
Biden welcomed Yoon, saying he was pleased to invite a state guest to a special place and get to know each other better in a happy and comfortable environment, Lee said.
In return, Yoon thanked Biden for the welcome, saying he feels a special closeness to Biden and his wife, having learned they have many things in common, including the fact that both couples live with pet cats and dogs.
Yoon also expressed his wish to invite his US counterpart and his wife to the presidential residence in Seoul when they visit South Korea at a later date, Lee added.
The US presidential couple presented Yoon and Kim with a small table, a vase and a sapphire necklace.For Yoon, a well-known baseball fan, Biden also prepared a vintage collection, consisting of a baseball bat, glove, and ball, previously used by a professional baseball player.
Biden recalled that, during his time as a senator, he hit a baseball, thrown by a Republican senator, so far that his grandchildren later told him they considered him a wonderful grandfather, although they had no idea what. he did as a politician, according to Lee.
Yoon and Kim’s gifts to the US presidential couple consisted of a traditional Korean jug, a traditional headdress and a silver teapot.
