Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Korean president, first lady receive warm welcome at Prague Castle
President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee each stand next to their counterparts, Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlová, during an official welcome ceremony held at the first courtyard of Prague Castle in the Czech Republic, Thursday, local time. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee, who are on their two-day state visit to the Czech Republic, attended an official welcome ceremony hosted by their Czech counterparts, President Petr Pavel and his wife, at Prague Castle on Thursday afternoon.
An official from the Korean presidential office noted that foreign guests are not typically permitted at Prague Castle due to the ongoing St. Wenceslas Crown exhibition. However, the Czech authorities made an exception for President Yoon's visit.
Prague Castle, boasting an architectural history of over 1,100 years, has served as the center of authority for the Kingdom of Bohemia since the late 9th century and later as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire in the 14th century. It is the largest ancient castle in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles.
President Yoon Suk Yeol presents a flower bouquet to the Czech first lady Eva Pavlová at Prague Castle, Thursday, local time. Yonhap
As the vehicle carrying President Yoon and his wife arrived at Prague Castle, Czech President Pavel and his wife warmly welcomed them at the historic venue.
During the welcoming ceremony, President Yoon presented a flower bouquet to the Czech first lady Eva Pavlová, while President Pavel offered a bouquet to Kim.f
Following this, the honor guard played the national anthems of both South Korea and the Czech Republic, after which the two leaders inspected the honor guard.
President Yoon Suk Yeol walks alongside Czech President Petr Pavel to inspect the honor guard during the official welcome ceremony held in the first courtyard of Prague Castle. Yonhap
Attending the official welcome ceremony from the South Korean side were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo, among other key presidential aides.
From the Czech side, attendees included Minister of Finance Zbyn?k Stanjura, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Sikela, Minister of Transport Martin Kupka, Minister of Science, Research and Innovation Marek Zenisek and others.
After the official welcome ceremony, the two presidents signed the guestbook at the presidential palace, followed by a bilateral summit and then an expanded meeting that started at approximately 6:40 p.m., Thursday evening.
President Yoon Suk Yeol writes a memo in the guestbook at the presidential palace located in Prague Castle, Thursday, with Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife, and first lady Kim Keon Hee observing. Yonhap
This meeting marks the third encounter between the two leaders, following the UN General Assembly in September last year and the NATO summit in July this year.
While the summit was taking place, first lady Kim conducted official activities with her Czech counterpart Eva Pavlová, visiting St. George's Basilica in Prague Castle.
President Yoon and first lady Kim concluded their first day in Prague by attending an official dinner hosted by President Pavel, featuring prominent figures from the political and corporate spheres of both countries.
President Yoon's visit is significant as it marks the first state visit by a South Korean president to the European nation in nine years, following former President Park Geun-hye's visit in December 2015.