US Koreans ecstatic over Moon's visit
Korean residents cheer for President Moon Jae-in as they wait to greet him in front of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Jane Han
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of Korean residents gathered in the U.S. capital Wednesday waving welcome signs, flags, banners and candles to greet South Korean President Moon Jae-in arriving for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It is an honor and privilege to be one of the first to welcome our President here in the U.S.,” said Lee Ki-chang, lead organizer of the welcome event in front of Blair House, the official guesthouse of the U.S.
Moon will be staying at the exclusive guesthouse for the entire duration of his trip.
His first stop in Washington was a new Korean War memorial at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, northern Virginia, before heading to Pennsylvania Avenue, where hundreds of Koreans, young and old, came together to express support for the President of their mother country.
“The moment President Moon’s car was visible to the crowd, it felt like I was standing in the middle of a movie scene,” said Lee, who witnessed people crying and shouting. “Both the Korean and U.S. flags were waving and fluttering in the air, and the entire crowd was simply in a blissful state.”
Despite expectations Moon wouldn’t be able to personally meet and greet the crowd due to security reasons, the President approached several individuals for handshakes and photos.
Among the crowd, some drove more than six hours from states as far away as Connecticut and North Carolina to participate in the event.
“It took a good four hours for me to get here,” said one participant with two young children, who didn’t want to be named. “It wasn’t an easy ride with the kids, but it was so worth it. How often do you get a chance to see the President up close? How often would my children get a chance to come across the Korean President?”
Following the initial greeting session in front of Blair House, dozens more gathered at Lafayette Square, a public park located just across from the White House, holding banners and candles with hopes for a fruitful bilateral meeting between Korea and the U.S.
“It’s such a proud and comforting feeling to have the President of my motherland right here in the U.S.,” said Ji Lee, one of many who spent hours on the streets of Capitol Hill to catch a glimpse of the first couple. “Koreans living in the U.S. have one common hope that the talks between Moon and Trump will lead to positive results.”