The Korea Herald

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Yoon hosts dinner for Kishida at his residence

By Shin Ji-hye

Published : May 7, 2023 - 22:36

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President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and their first ladies have a dinner at the official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and their first ladies have a dinner at the official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol invited Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to his residence for an official dinner after their summit on Sunday.

Kishida, accompanied by his wife, first lady Yuko Kishida, was the second foreign leader to have been invited to Yoon’s Hannam-dong home in Seoul, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last November.

The dinner featured a variety of traditional Korean dishes, such as gujeolpan, japchae, tangpyeongchae, steamed Korean beef ribs, beef tripe, croaker pancake, Korean beef bulgogi, steamed natural jumbo shrimp, cold noodles, Korean sweets, fruits and sikhye. Gujeolpan is an elaborate Korean dish consisting of nine different foods arranged in separate sections on a wooden, octagon-shaped plate.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and their first ladies have a dinner at the official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk Yeol, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and their first ladies have a dinner at the official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sunday. (Yonhap)

To complement the dinner, Korean rice wine, Gyeongju Beopju, was served, which is considered one of the best rice wines in Korea. It was chosen, in part, for Kishida, who has a known affinity for sake.

During their previous meeting in March, the two leaders shared drinks that mixed Korean soju and Japanese beer.

The two continued their friendly engagement over traditional Korean music performances at Yoon’s residence, according to reports.