Han Nam-dong Residence Welcomes Its First Guest... President Yoon's Decision

President Yoon and First Lady Hold Talks Using Reception Hall and Family Spaces Just Ten Days After Moving In

President Yoon Suk-yeol is having a friendly conversation after concluding a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, who visited Korea on the 17th. /

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The presidential residence located in Hannam-dong, Seoul, welcomed its first guest on the 17th. It has been ten days since President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife moved in. President Yoon held both a meeting and an official luncheon with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the residence. While this reflected the Saudi side's sensitivity regarding Crown Prince bin Salman's security, the decision to hold the meeting at the residence was also made to honor the special hospitality the presidential couple wished to extend to the foreign dignitary.

On that day, President Yoon held talks with Crown Prince bin Salman at the Hannam-dong residence in the morning and hosted an official luncheon with the Crown Prince's delegation. In addition to the residential quarters where President Yoon and his wife live, the Hannam-dong residence has separate spaces for receptions and banquets.

The high-level talks, which lasted about 40 minutes, took place in the reception hall, and a private conversation between President Yoon and Crown Prince bin Salman also lasted about 40 minutes in the family area (living room and garden). While working-level talks between South Korean and Saudi ministers were underway, the President and the Crown Prince took a walk in the garden accompanied only by interpreters and held a private conversation.

Before the completion of the Hannam-dong residence construction, President Yoon received guests at the Yongsan Presidential Office building. Previously, meetings with visiting heads of state such as U.S. President Joe Biden, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were all held at the presidential office. The fact that this residence meeting took place is partly because the residence construction was only recently completed, but it can also be interpreted as the Korean government paying special attention to Crown Prince bin Salman's visit. In fact, all scheduled talks and joint press announcements, including a preliminary meeting between President Yoon and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the afternoon, were held at the Yongsan Presidential Office.

The number of attendees at the residence was also considerable. On the Korean side, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defense, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, Director of National Security Office, First Deputy Director of National Security Office, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, Senior Secretary for Public Relations, and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia were present. On the Saudi side, the Minister of Energy, Minister of State, Minister of Interior, Minister of National Guard, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State and National Security Advisor, Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Information, Minister of Investment, Minister of Economic Planning, and Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) attended.

Having successfully completed the first VIP event, the utilization of the residence is expected to increase. President Yoon is likely to invite politicians and various social figures to the residence. There is also a possibility that the 'five key figures'?the Speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, and Chairperson of the National Election Commission?will be invited soon.

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