First lady meets UAE students learning Korean language

First lady Kim Jung-sook looks around a traditional market in Abu Dhabi with students learning the Korean language at King Sejong Institute there, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kim Rahn

ABU DHABI ― First lady Kim Jung-sook visited a traditional market in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), together with students learning the Korean language at King Sejong Institute here, Sunday, the second day of President Moon Jae-in's visit to the Middle Eastern country.

The visit to the marketplace, called souq, was part of the first couple's efforts to understand the local culture and have close contact with local people during their visits to foreign countries.

The participants of the event were those studying Korean language at the institute within the Korean Cultural Center.

Looking around the market, the students showed Kim a traditional dance using sticks, which she learned on the spot, and taught her how to wear hijab. They also had coffee which the students had made at home in person.

The students said girls in the country are highly interested in Korean culture, food and K-pop. Kim gave them CDs of Korean boy band BTS, which the group members autographed, a present that made the students shout for joy.

“They said there are many things in common between Korea and the UAE, saying they want to help make people of the countries learn about each other's culture,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said. “Kim told them to play the role of linking Korea and the UAE and become strong supporters for cooperation between the nations.”

She also had lunch with Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, the mother of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is in charge of women-related policies in Abu Dhabi. Kim also visited the General Women's Union, a group launched in 1975 with a goal to boost women's rights, as well as Louvre Abu Dhabi, a newly opened museum.