First Ladies Agata Kornhauser-Duda and Kim Keon-he met during the Polish delegation’s visit to Korea

During the Polish presidential couple’s official visit to the Republic of Korea, which took place from 22 to 25 October 2024, the First Lady of Poland, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, met with the First Lady of Korea, Kim Keon-hee, in Seoul.

The meeting took place at Gyeongbok Palace, a historical building of great symbolic significance for the Republic of Korea. Dating back to 1395, Gyeongbok Palace is the largest of the five palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. Nowadays, it is one of Korea’s most important historical monuments, meticulously reconstructed and serving as a symbol of South Korea’s national identity.

After a tour of the palace, the honoured guests attended a concert of traditional Korean music. First Ladies also discussed their initiatives: in particular, Mrs Kim Keon-hee spoke about the main cultural traditions of her country, focusing on holidays, music and customs.

During her visit to Korea, Mrs Kornhauser-Duda also came to the Dasarang (다사랑 노인주간보호센터) Elderly Care Centre in Busan, where she learned about Korean approaches to supporting older people in their daily lives. Then, she visited several educational institutions, including the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where students have the opportunity to learn the Polish language. After that, Mrs Kornhauser-Duda attended the Children’s English Library in Yongam (용암어린이영어도서관), which plays an important role in the life of the local community.

This is not the first meeting of the First Ladies. In July 2023, they had the opportunity to talk in Warsaw during the Republic of Korea presidential couple’s visit to Poland. Before that, Mrs Kornhauser-Duda and Kim Keon-hee had already met on the margins of the NATO summits.