Biden Couple Welcomes Yoon Couple at White House Residence... Also Gifts Baseball Bat

On the second day of his state visit to the United States on the 25th (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol met with President Joe Biden and the First Lady at the White House presidential residence for the first time and spent a friendly time together. Although no separate meal was held, they toured the interior of the residence together, exchanged gifts, and discussed various topics.

Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Do-woon introduced this summit meeting to reporters at the Washington local press center that night.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on the 25th (local time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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President Biden and the First Lady welcomed President Yoon and his wife at the White House residence in the late afternoon and personally guided them through the interior spaces. President Yoon and his wife signed the guestbook and a photo album commemorating the 70th anniversary of the alliance, and also spent time together on the balcony enjoying the panoramic view of Washington.

The two leaders talked about various topics of mutual interest, including human and cultural exchanges and national governance philosophies, in a warm and friendly atmosphere. President Biden said, "I welcome President Yoon's state visit," adding, "I am pleased to invite such a distinguished guest as a state visitor to this precious space and to have a comfortable atmosphere where we can get to know each other better." President Yoon also responded, "Today, I feel a greater sense of closeness knowing that both the Korean and U.S. presidential couples live with pets, including dogs and cats, among many other commonalities," and added, "I would like to invite President Biden and his wife to the (Hannam-dong) residence when they visit Korea together later."

The two leaders also exchanged gifts. President Biden and the First Lady presented a small table, a vase, and a necklace. In particular, the First Lady gifted Mrs. Kim Geon-hee a necklace adorned with three blue sapphires designed by a Korean-American, and President Biden gave President Yoon a baseball bat, glove, and official ball used by a professional player. Spokesperson Lee added that this seemed to be in reference to the recent buzz around President Yoon's ceremonial first pitch at the professional baseball opening game.

President Biden shared his past experience playing on a congressional baseball team, recalling hitting a ball 368 feet off a pitch from a Republican pitcher, and said, "My grandchildren may not know what politics their grandfather was involved in, but they remember their grandfather as a great person because of that one hit," the spokesperson conveyed.

Afterwards, President Yoon and Mrs. Kim visited the 'Korean War Memorial' with President Biden and the First Lady to lay a wreath. The visit to the Korean War Memorial was part of the friendly schedule between the two leaders, marking the first time since the memorial's dedication ceremony in 1995 that the Korean and U.S. presidents visited the memorial together, following President Kim Young-sam and President Bill Clinton.

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