UN Ambassador Cha Ji-hun briefs president and first lady on Koreatown's history

President Lee Jae Myung and his wife visit Koreatown in New York on Monday (local time) during their trip to attend the UN General Assembly, posing for photos with members of the public. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung and his wife visit Koreatown in New York on Monday (local time) during their trip to attend the UN General Assembly, posing for photos with members of the public. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung and his wife visited New York's Koreatown on Monday (local time), greeting members of the Korean diaspora and meeting with local residents during their trip to attend the UN General Assembly.

Cheong Wa Dae Deputy Spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong announced the visit in a written briefing.

According to Ahn, the couple toured the neighborhood while UN Ambassador Cha Ji-hun briefed them on how Koreatown took shape and grew over the years.

They browsed shops with Korean-language signage and showed interest in the Korean products on display, including cosmetics.

Korean residents who encountered the couple on the street greeted them warmly, with one saying, "Thank you for all your hard work." The president and his wife responded in kind.

With chuseok approaching, the couple also took time to exchange holiday greetings with members of the diaspora living far from home.

The couple had dinner at a hansik restaurant, where they were served dolsotbap (stone-pot rice), napa cabbage soup, taro soup, braised butterfish and a mixed assortment of jeon (Korean savory pancakes).

The visit also gave them a firsthand look at how hansik, which began as comfort food for Korean immigrants, has become a fixture of everyday dining culture in New York.


sang@heraldcorp.com