Moon gets orchid named after him as gift

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in smells the scent of an orchid which was named after him at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in Singapore, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-gwon

The Singaporean government has honored President Moon Jae-in with a new species of orchid named after him as a gift.

Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook took part in the naming ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Thursday, the second day of their three-day state visit to the country. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching also attended.

As part of hospitality and respect, Singapore grows a hybrid orchid to name after a foreign dignitary and offers the plant to the person as a gift. Moon is the first Korean president to have such an orchid named after him.

The orchid was named “Papilionanda Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-sook.”

The Singapore Botanic Gardens began growing hybrid orchids in 1928 and has developed more than 2,000 types of hybrids. The country started the orchid naming event in 1957 for Anne Black, the wife of the then-British governor of Hong Kong and Singapore. Since then, the Singaporean government has offered nearly 200 foreign guests the honor of naming new hybrid orchids after them at the garden as a means of enhancing friendship.

Koreans whose names have been with new orchids include former President Roh Moo-hyun's wife Kwon Yang-sook, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and actor Bae Yong-joon.

After the naming ceremony, Moon and Kim had a luncheon with Lee and Ho at a restaurant located in the gardens.