Kim Geon-hee Meets Angelina Jolie, "Let's Work Together to Improve Animal Rights"

Kim Keon-hee, who is on a state visit to the United States, met with Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie at the state dinner hosted by the White House on the 26th (local time).

At the dinner, the head table where the South Korean and U.S. presidential couples were seated included invited guests such as actress Angelina Jolie and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player 'Korean Express' Park Chan-ho.

It is reported that Jolie sat next to Mrs. Kim, while Park Chan-ho sat next to President Yoon. Jolie's eldest son, Maddox, is currently studying abroad at Yonsei University in Korea.

Photos released from the dinner show Mrs. Kim making eye contact and toasting or having a conversation with Jolie, who was seated right beside her.

Mrs. Kim discussed various topics with actress Angelina Jolie, who was seated next to her, including human rights, child adoption, animal rights, environmental protection, and their connections to Korea.

Mrs. Kim said, "If Ms. Jolie supports the movement to improve animal rights in Korea, it would be a great help," to which Jolie responded, "Animals are said to feel emotions. Let's work together to find wise ways to address this."

Mrs. Kim and Jolie attracted attention with their similar styles from the moment they appeared at the dinner venue.

Mrs. Kim wore a white jacket over a floor-length white dress and white gloves. Her accessories included long drop earrings, and she carried a silver clutch bag. Jolie wore a long dress with a deep neckline. Unlike Mrs. Kim, who buttoned her jacket, Jolie left her white-toned jacket open and added a gold pearl necklace as a focal point.

Jolie established ties with Korea when her son Maddox enrolled at Yonsei University's Underwood International College in 2019. When asked by reporters what he liked most about living in Seoul, Maddox briefly answered, "The people."

Before the dinner, Mrs. Kim also attended a North Korean human rights meeting. She met with North Korean defectors, including Joseph Kim, and North Korean human rights experts at the Washington DC Consulate. Notably, she also met with the mother of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was detained in North Korea and died after being released.

Mrs. Jill Biden also visited the National Gallery in Washington DC.

The two first ladies entered an exhibition hall displaying 10 works by Mark Rothko, a master of abstract expressionism. They also appreciated Rothko's 1955 work "Red Band" together.

In 2015, when Mrs. Kim was CEO of Covana Contents, she brought 50 Rothko works owned by the National Gallery to Korea and held an exhibition titled "Mark Rothko Loved by Steve Jobs."

It is reported that Mrs. Biden prepared the day's schedule with this in mind.

In addition, the dinner was attended by numerous prominent figures representing politics, economy, and culture from both Korea and the United States. Among them were Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Broadway musical actors, U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, and bestselling author Min Jin Lee, known for "Pachinko."

Meanwhile, on the same day, opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea designated the so-called "double special investigations" (special investigations into the Daejang-dong '5 billion club' and Kim Keon-hee) bill as a fast-track agenda at the National Assembly plenary session amid opposition from the People Power Party. Fast track means expediting the legislative process. The opposition has consistently advocated for the introduction of special investigations to probe allegations related to Mrs. Kim, including the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation suspicion and Covana Contents' corporate sponsorship allegations.

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