After US President Donald Trump showed interest in the pen used by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their summit at the White House on Monday, shares of Korean pen-makers surged Tuesday. The pen was reportedly made by local brand Zenyle.
Following news over the summit, shares of Monami, the nation’s largest maker of pens, jumped as much as 22 percent in midday trading in Seoul on Tuesday.
After Lee signed the White House guest book with his pen during their bilateral summit, Trump pointed at it and said, “That's a nice pen. Is that your pen?” When Lee answered that it was, Trump showed keen interest, asking, “Do you want to take it with you?"
Lee smiled and gestured with both hands, indicating he would like to give it to his counterpart as a gift. The South Korean president added, “It will be useful in your complicated signature.”
The pen, engraved with Korea’s taegeuk symbol and a bonghwang, or feng huang, a mythological bird that symbolizes the South Korean presidency, was presented to Trump on the spot.
Trump commented that he would use the pen because he liked its style of writing, pulling off the cap to emphasize that he prefers a felt tip. He then added that he also wanted to present gifts to the Korean delegation.
The JoongAng Ilbo reported the pen was made by Zenyle, a local fountain pen company. The firm is known for handcrafting pens with such materials as rosewood and olive wood.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
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