Hello, I am Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at The Korea Times. I primarily cover financial authorities and write articles on a wide range of topics related to finance and capital markets. If you have any information to share, feel free to email me at jjh@koreatimes.co.kr, and I will review it carefully. I am committed to always doing my best to communicate with readers through high-quality articles.
First ladies of Korea, US build friendship at National Gallery of Art
First lady Kim Keon Hee and U.S. first lady Jill Biden tour the Mark Rothko exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Wednesday (local time). AFP-Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
First lady Kim Keon Hee solidified her friendship with U.S. first lady Jill Biden during a private tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington on Wednesday (local time).
Kim is in the United States accompanying her husband President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance.
Both first ladies are known to have a deep knowledge of art.
The U.S. first lady shared their visit to the National Gallery with Kim on Twitter, referring to her Korean counterpart as her friend.
U.S. first lady Jill Biden shares her tour to the National Gallery with her Korean counterpart Kim Keon Hee on Twitter, calling Kim “My friend.” Captured from Twitter
The two together saw paintings by American painter Mark Rothko.
Kim organized a special Mark Rothko retrospective exhibition in Seoul in 2015, as she formerly headed an art event-planning company and worked as an art exhibition organizer before becoming a first lady.
The Mark Rothko exhibition in Seoul was a huge success, attracting some 250,000 visitors.
Last year, Kim gave a book about Mark Rothko to Jill Biden as a gift when the U.S. president visited Seoul. At that time, Jill Biden did not accompany her husband.
While touring the National Gallery for about 50 minutes, the duo received explanations from Kaywin Feldman, the director of the National Gallery of Art, and Harry Cooper, the senior curator, about the artworks on display.
First lady Kim Keon Hee, second from right, and U.S. first lady Jill Biden, right, speak with Kaywin Feldman, the director of the National Gallery of Art, left, and Harry Cooper, the senior curator and head of Modern Art, center, during a tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Wednesday (local time). Reuters-Yonhap