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| The first ladies of South Korea and the United States, Kim Jung-sook and Melania Trump, greet each other at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Rahn
The first ladies of South Korea and the United States have formed friendship and trust by having their own meeting while their husbands, President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump, were having bilateral talks.
Kim Jung-sook and her counterpart Melania Trump had their third meeting Tuesday following ones in June during Moon's visit to the U.S. and in July during the G20 summit.
The two met in a reception room of Cheong Wa Dae's main building, where Kim told Trump stories about former first ladies here. They talked about the importance of education and welfare for children, according to presidential vice spokeswoman Ko Min-jung. "Kim said she hopes to provide a bright future for children, but said North Korea's nuclear program is a big threat; while Trump said she hopes the issue will be resolved peacefully, adding there should not be a tragedy," Ko said.
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They then took a walk through a small garden near the building. Kim introduced the story of a stone arch there that it was believed people who pass through it do not age. "Laughing, Trump then said she would definitely need to pass through it," Ko said.
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| First ladies Kim Jung-sook and Melania Trump stroll through the Nokjiwon garden at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
On a nearby lawn, Kim and Trump met 52 children who took part in an earlier official welcoming ceremony. Some of the children were those of Eighth U.S. Army servicemen and U.S. Embassy staffers. The children gave the two ladies letters and pictures they had drawn of them as presents. In gratitude, Kim and Trump gave the children mufflers in white, red and blue, the colors of the two nations' national flags.
Afterward they had tea in Sangchunjae, a hanok (traditional Korean house) used to serve foreign dignitaries.
Kim and Trump sat next to a folding screen with a painting of peonies, which was used during royal events during the Joseon era (1392-1910) to symbolize national prosperity and well-being. The screen was an expression of hope for peace on the Korean Peninsula and friendship between the two countries, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Kim introduced the architectural and aesthetic features of hanok to Trump who studied architecture and design.
The tea was Serene Morning of PyeongChang, a specially blended brew to promote the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games to foreign guests.
They were also served chocolate-coated dried persimmons with a walnut inside. Kim herself dried the persimmons and made the snack.
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