NEW YORK — President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, visited Koreatown in New York on the 21st, greeting Korean residents and touring an area that has become a hub for Korean culture. Lee is in the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly. Korean residents and foreign passersby who unexpectedly encountered the president called out "Aren't you the president?" and "Mr. President!" in surprise.
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy presidential spokesperson, said in a written briefing that the couple walked through Koreatown in Manhattan, looked around Korean-run businesses and spoke with residents and local citizens. Koreatown, long a center of daily life for the Korean community, has recently emerged as a focal point for Korean food, K-beauty and K-pop, and Lee examined a range of Korean products to see how popular Korean culture and goods have become in the area.
According to Ahn, the couple walked the streets as Cha Ji-hoon, ambassador to the United Nations, explained how Koreatown formed and developed. Korean residents along the way recognized the couple and greeted them, saying they appreciated their hard work. With Chuseok approaching, Lee and his wife extended holiday greetings to Koreans living abroad and asked how they were doing.
Local residents and tourists also welcomed the couple, shouting "South Korea's President." Some gave a thumbs-up or waved, and the couple waved back. They also agreed to requests for photographs.
A Korean student studying at the Culinary Institute of America recognized Lee and expressed delight, saying, "Aren't you the president?" The student posed for a photo with the couple, saying the picture would be sent to parents back in Korea.
The student said the school had added a Korean cuisine program this year and described the rising popularity of Korean food locally. The couple later had dinner at a Korean restaurant called The Keun Jip, where the meal included rice cooked in a stone pot, cabbage soup, taro soup, braised pomfret and an assortment of savory pancakes.
The presidential office said the visit showed how Koreatown, for many years a base of life for the Korean community, has grown into a place visited by New Yorkers and tourists from around the world. It added that the visit made clear how much the reach of Korean culture has widened.
