Lee Prepares Gifts for Bush Family
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak has prepared gifts for U.S. President George W. Bush and his family, who will visit Seoul Tuesday and Wednesday, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday.
The two leaders are expected to exchange presents during talks over tea or lunch as a friendly gesture to consolidate bilateral ties, the official said.
Lee's presents seek to convey the beauty of Korea, including a digital frame with traditional mother-of-pearl inlay.
The frame, holding a photo of the two leaders and their wives taken in their April summit at Camp David in the United States, will promote Korean tradition and the country's status as an information technology powerhouse.
Lee prepared this gift because Bush enjoys seeing photos of family and acquaintances at his office, the official said.
For Laura Bush, first lady Kim Yoon-ok arranged a book cover embroidered with the patterns of ten objects known for longevity, such as the crane and pine tree, and a bookmark adorned with a painting of Sin Saimdang, a renowned female artist of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
A jewelry box with traditional Korean geometrical patterns will be given to Bush's daughter Barbara, the official said.
A presidential aide in Seoul said the two leaders will reaffirm their friendship following their earlier summits in the United States in April and Japan in July.
In the April summit, Lee gave Bush a horn-conjoined bow, the traditional bow of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), and received a leather jacket with his initials M.B. Lee and a leather bag made in Texas.
First lady Kim exchanged a coffee cup set made of white porcelain for a set of Texas-made tea cups with flower patterns drawn with Mrs. Bush.