President Yoon and First Lady Meet Rota, Who Underwent Heart Surgery, and Gift a Soccer Ball

First Lady Kim Geon-hee Attends Design Industry New Year's Gathering Separately... "Designers, the Center of the World"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee recently met Ok Rota, a boy who underwent heart surgery after coming to Korea from Cambodia.

A presidential office official stated on the afternoon of the 31st at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, "President Yoon and the First Lady met Rota, who safely completed heart surgery and is preparing to return home, and congratulated him by giving him a soccer ball." The official added, "Rota has suffered from a heart condition since childhood and has never played soccer. Upon hearing this, the President immediately gifted him a soccer ball that the presidential office happened to have on hand."

Earlier, during President Yoon’s Southeast Asia tour in November last year, First Lady Kim visited Rota’s home in Cambodia and formed a connection. Rota, who has congenital heart disease, underwent a heart transplant surgery in 2018 but was unable to receive follow-up treatment due to his family’s financial situation. First Lady Kim visited Rota’s home to comfort the boy and his family, and with continued support, he received treatment in Korea last month.

First Lady Kim Keon-hee is entering the New Year's gathering of the design community held at the Korea Design Center in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 31st.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same afternoon, First Lady Kim attended the New Year gathering of the design community held at the Korea Design Center. About 200 people from related associations and organizations, including Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang, the head of the Design Promotion Institute, the president of the Korea Federation of Design Organizations, the chairman of the Korea Design Foundation, and the CEO of Design House, were present. First Lady Kim said, "I believe designers are always at the center of the world as problem solvers." She encouraged, "I hope designers never forget that they are at the center of the world with such expectations."

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