#135 President Lee Goes to Washington – and Detroit and Chicago

[스티븐스 대사]

I just returned from Washington, DC, where I took part in President Lee Myung-bak’s State Visit.  In the United States, a State Visit is always a big deal.  This was only the fifth State Visit President Obama has hosted.  But ties between the U.S. and Korea are, as President Obama has said, “stronger than ever,” and more important than ever, so there was a lot to discuss, and to celebrate.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo with President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok on the North Portico of the White House prior to the State Dinner.

The day before the official start of the State Visit, the U.S. Congress passed the U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement with overwhelming and bipartisan support.  This set the stage for a memorable day on October 13 that included a series of events that celebrated our shared history while also looking forward to the next chapter in U.S. – Korea relations. 

Throughout the visit – from the wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and the Korean War Memorial, to the  long lines of Koreans and Americans braving the rain to attend the Arrival Ceremony Thursday morning on the White House South Lawn, to the ”buzz” at the  State Lunch hosted by Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton, to the evening’s White House State Dinner, to the next day’s  visit to an auto plant in Michigan and dinner in Chicago, I reflected on all that Americans and Koreans have accomplished together, and all that still lies in front of us.  And the KORUS FTA, when it is implemented, will take the U.S.-ROK relationship to the next level.  

President Barack Obama and President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea shake hands

after President Obama welcomes him to the South Lawn of the White House

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden during

a luncheon at the State Department in Washington

President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak,

wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball cap, tour the General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion, Mich.

It was not all economics and politics.  The music at the State Dinner thrilled everyone.  First the Ahn Trio, three sisters who were born in Seoul, immigrated to the U.S. as children, and studied at the Juilliard School in New York City, treated us to a rousing jazz-classical fusion performance.  I talked to violinist Angella Ahn, who lives and teaches at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, about the active music scene in the state, which I know through my family ties there.  Korean-Americans are indeed in every region and every field in the United States.  The Ahn sisters were followed by R&B singer Janelle Monáe, who, together with her band, had everyone clapping.

The Ahn Trio, with Angella Ahn on violin, Lucia Ahn on piano, and Maria Ahn on cello, perform at the White House State Dinner in honor of President Lee and First Lady Kim.

Here I am in the White House with Janelle Monáe and her band (from left: Kellis Parker Jr., Mike Phillips, and Lance Powlis). A famous portrait of America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, hangs in the background. 

President Barack Obama offers a toast during the State Dinner with Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

It was good to see UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

 There is much more to report about all the happenings in Washington last week.  You can read more here. 

    

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