Moon-Biden Lunch with Maryland Crab Cakes... "First Maskless Meeting"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 21st, President Moon Jae-in held his first face-to-face summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, including a luncheon and a private meeting. President Moon stated, "It is truly a joyful occasion to have a meeting without wearing masks for the first time."

The Blue House announced on the 22nd that "the two leaders engaged in comprehensive and in-depth discussions on various agendas for nearly six hours, exceeding the scheduled time."

The Blue House added, "From the private meeting, small-group meeting, expanded summit meeting to the joint press conference, the two leaders displayed closeness and spent time further solidifying mutual trust and bonds." It was reported that during the 37-minute private meeting, the two leaders also had a luncheon featuring Maryland crab cakes as the main dish.

This was prepared considering President Moon's preference for seafood, according to the U.S. side.

According to the Blue House, during the private meeting, President Moon said, "I am pleased to visit the United States as my first foreign trip after COVID-19," and added, "It is a pleasure to hold talks with President Biden, but it is truly a joyful occasion to have a meeting without wearing masks for the first time."

In response, President Biden said, "I share the same values with President Moon and personally feel a sense of affinity."

During the nearly one-hour small-group meeting, President Moon emphasized, "In previous talks, we confirmed our joint will to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance and peace on the Korean Peninsula," and stressed that they would seek approaches to North Korea through seamless cooperation between the two countries.

President Biden stated, "When I was vice president, I visited Korea with my granddaughter who was studying foreign policy and told her to learn about the courage, patience, and perseverance of the Korean people at Panmunjom," and revealed that it was also his intention to have the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense visit Korea last March.

During the expanded summit meeting attended by official aides, President Moon mentioned the growing expectations for economic recovery in the U.S. since President Biden's inauguration and expressed hope that the U.S.'s 'Build Back Better' initiative and Korea's 'Korean New Deal' policy would create synergy.

President Biden said, "I am pleased to welcome President Moon as the second foreign leader to hold an in-person meeting," and added, "There were several reports that the previous meeting exceeded the scheduled time, but since the meeting content was beneficial, we extended the meeting time."

The Blue House conveyed the atmosphere, stating, "Through this Korea-U.S. summit, the two leaders built special trust and bonds, shared the will for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and agreed on development into a comprehensive and mutually beneficial alliance," and "Both sides parted with anticipation of meeting again soon in Seoul."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.