Pool Reports of May 21, 2021

WH pool report #1 - Press briefing now at 2 pm

Good morning from the White House where it is 68 degrees and sunny.

The press briefing with Jen Psaki will now be at 2:00 PM.

We’re on track for a quiet morning and busy afternoon with a combo of closed press and pool events. Pooler will let you know if anything changes:

12:35 PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, to the White House
Closed Press

1:oo PM THE PRESIDENT awards the Medal of Honor to Army Colonel Ralph Puckett; H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, the Vice President, the First Lady, and the Second Gentleman also attend
East Room
Restricted In-House Pool Coverage (Final Gather 12:40 PM – Palm Room Doors)

2:15 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a bilateral meeting with H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea
Oval Office
Closed Press

3:15 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea
State Dining Room
Restricted In-House Pool Spray at the Top (Final Gather 2:55 PM – Palm Room Doors)

5:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a press conference with H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea
East Room
Restricted In-House Pool Coverage (Final Gather 4:40 PM – Palm Room Doors)
Pool has been COVID tested. Please reach out with any questions.

WH pool report #2 - lunch lid until 11:45 am

We have a lunch lid until 11:45 am.

It has been a busy morning at the White House with military aides in dress uniforms preparing for the various events, the grass on the North Lawn being mowed, and the Marines practicing their opening and closing door skills at the West Wing door.

About 10:45 am, friends and family of Colonel Ralph Puckett Jr., who is being awarded the Medal of Honor this afternoon, came into the complex and posed for photos outside the Palm Room doors before going inside.

WH pool report #3 - President Moon arrival/Medal of Honor ceremony

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was scheduled to arrive at the West Wing at 12:35 pm.

The color guard was lined up along the West Wing drive way with various members of the armed services in their dress uniforms.

Pool was pulled before his arrival to go the East Room for the Medal of Honor ceremony for Colonel Ralph Puckett Jr., 94, who is being honored for his service in the Korean War.

It is the first time President Joe Biden is awarding the medal as president. South Korean President Moon will also attend.

It is being broadcast on White House live so pooler will just send color.

There appears to be about 60 people in the room. Senator Joni Ernst is here. A few face masks are visible on guests but the majority are not wearing them and chairs are not socially distanced. Lots of guests in military uniform.

The stage is set with a podium, a chair, and what appears to be a framed flag with 13 white stars on a blue background.

Some more color from preparations for today: about 11:30 am, the military honor guard did a couple practice runs of lining up on the West Wing driveway with the state flags. They also were able to avoid the sprinklers running on the North Lawn as they practiced.

WH pool report #3a - Moon arrived at 12:50 pm

President Moon entered the White House at 12:50 pm (thanks to WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia).

He was greeted by Asel Roberts, the acting chief of protocol.

WH in town pool report #4 - 2 min warning and color

President Moon arrived at the Medal of Honor ceremony at 12:59 pm and took a seat in the second row. He read his binder for a bit and then chatted with people around him.

Vice President Harris and Doug Emhoff arrived at 1:01 pm and took seats in the first row.

Jill Biden arrived at 1:09 pm. She hugged and kissed Harris on the cheek. She also hugged Emhoff. FLOTUS, wearing a brown dress with white flowers and a dark cardigan, is seated in front row across the aisle from Harris.

Senator Joni Ernst said she's known the Puckett family for years.

"I've known Ralph - sorry Colonel Puckett - since the early 90s. He is an incredible mentor for me," she told the pool, adding she was so happy to be here with his family.

Ernst also went and hugged Harris when the Vice President arrived. She introduced some of the Puckett family to the VP and SGOTUS.

The piano was playing Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American.

Also here: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Mike Donilion

(Hat tip to TV pooler Peter Doocy and AP's Darlene Superville for their help).

WH pool report #5 - ceremony attendees

President Moon had walked out and came back in the room to be formally introduced. Now he is in the front row next to VP Harris.

POTUS came in at 1:14 pm with Colonel Puckett.

Ceremony has started.

In attendance, per the White House:

Attending the Medal of Honor ceremony:

Administration and Military Officials:

• Vice President Kamala Harris
• Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff
• Secretary Lloyd Austin
• Ron Klain, Chief of Staff
• Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
• John Whitley, Acting Secretary of the Army
• General John Hyten, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• General James McConville, Chief of Staff of Army
• Michael Grinston, Sergeant Major of the Army
• Thomas Solhjem, Army Chaplain

Members of Congress:

• Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-06)
• Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03)
• Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

Republic of Korea Officials:

• His Excellency Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Dr. Suh Hoon, Director of National Security

Puckett Family:

• Jean Puckett, Wife
• Thomas Puckett, Son
• Martha Wilcoxson, Daughter
• Ralph Whitman, Partner of Thomas Puckett
• Anthony Wilcoxson, Son-in-Law
• Lauren Raney, Granddaughter
• Dixon Raney, Grandson
• Martha Kinnett, Granddaughter
• Jack Kinnett, Grandson
• Jean DeLoach, Granddaughter
• Sarah Burnett, Granddaughter

WH pool report #6 - color from ceremony

Ceremony ended at 1:45 pm and pool was pulled at 1:48 pm.

Some color:

Attendees in the room stood during the ceremony until the president told people to sit.

Colonel Puckett sat quietly while POTUS spoke with his hands clasped in his lap and looking down.

Colonel Puckett stood to shake hands and hug President Moon after the South Korean president's remarks.

Senator Ernst stood at attention while the Medal of Honor citation was read. She was the only member of the audience standing at that time.

At one point during the citation reading Colonel Puckett and POTUS whispered to one another.

Family members introduced themselves to POTUS as they came on stage. "In a second Jill and I are going to crash your picture," POTUS told them.

He then called up President Moon and "Jilly."

There were a few gasps and chuckles when Biden and Moon knelt for the picture.

VP Harris came up to hug Colonel Puckett. It was hard to hear all she said. "It was such an honor. Congratulations." Sec/Def Austin also came up. Again it was hard to hear what was said.

There was a pause in the aisle on the way out as Senator Ernst came up and hugged Colonel Puckett. "Joni," he said. Colonel Puckett exited with POTUS. A military aide pushed his wheelchair.

WH pool report #7 - Biden/Moon bilat

Pool entered the State Dining Room at 3:54 pm for the bilat between President Biden and South Korean President Moon.

Attendees were seated around a large table and not wearing masks.

Biden said the two nations were long allies and "on a personal note I wanted to thank the president for being beside me when I awarded" the Medal of Honor.

"And I also want to point out that our history of shared sacrifice," which he said was critical to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

He said staff kept coming in to say they were over time but "I was enjoying" their talk.

More TK ...

Attendees joining President Biden and His Excellency Moon Jae-in at the restricted bilateral meeting in the Oval Office:

UNITED STATES DELEGATION:

• Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
• Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
• Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, National Security Council
• Edgard Kagan, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania, National Security Council

REPUBLIC OF KOREA DELEGATION:

• His Excellency Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Dr. Suh Hoon, Director of National Security
• His Excellency Lee Soo Hyuck, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States
• Ambassador Kim Hyoung Zhin, Deputy National Security Advisor

WH pool report #8 - more from bilat

Pool was out at 4:03 pm.

President Biden answered no questions.

"I'll have time to answer questions later. Thank you," POTUS said.

Fuller quotes from POTUS to come.

More color from room: The US and South Korea flags were on display - each set on opposite sides of the room. A few aides were seated on chairs around the larger table.

WH pool report #9 - More Biden remarks from bilat

Here are the president's remarks. As always, please check against the official transcript:

POTUS: The United States and the Republic of Korea are allies with a long history of shared sacrifice. On a personal note the president for being with me today as I had the great honor of presenting the Congressional Medal of Honor to a ranger in his mid 90s, who was shown incredible acts of valor and bravery in Korea during the Korean War. The president was kind enough for come and spend the entire time there, and to personally congratulate him. And I also want to point out that our history of shared sacrifice and our cooperation is vital to maintain peace and stability in a critical region the world.

President Moon and I and our teams have had good meetings, addressing our shared agenda, in a private meeting to which my staff kept coming out and saying ‘you're over time. You're over time.' And that was totally fine. I enjoyed our meetings so much that it caused us to move everything back. I look forward to continuing our discussions here today.

WH pool report #10 - press conference start time delayed

The gather time for the Biden-Moon press conference has been moved back to 5:30 pm per an overhead announcement in the press briefing room.

We did not get a new start time for the press conference – it was originally slated to begin at 5 pm - but the pool entered the bilat about 40 minutes behind schedule.

WH pool report #11 - 2 min warning to presser

We have a two minute warning to the President Biden and President Moon press conference.

It’s taking place in the State Dining Room and being broadcast on White House live so pool will only send color.

The room has seats for about 35 officials. Chairs are not socially distanced and no face masks.

Press are behind those officials, behind a rope line. There are about 25 journalists - print, TV, stills - on the American side with less than a dozen South Korea journalists also here.

There are two podiums with two American and two South Korean flags behind them. A glass of water sits to the side of each podium.

Spotted: GM International President Steven Kiefer, Jake Sullivan, Anthony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Anita Dunn, Jen Psaki, Kate Bedingfield

WH pool report #12 - POTUS took questions at exit

POTUS took questions at the end of the rope line as he left the room.

He was asked if he would support Democrats going alone on a Jan. 6 commission: "I haven't given up hope we're going to get a bipartisan commission."

He was asked if the government should be ceasing reporters phone records.

He said: "absolutely, positively it's wrong. It's simply wrong."

He added: "I won't let that happen."

Thanks to NBC's Kristen Welker and CNN's Kaitlan Collins for their audio on this.

Also correction: Press conference took place in the East Room. Pooler apologizes for the error.

WH pool report #13 - Travel photo lid

White House called a travel photo lid at 6:42 pm.

Have a great weekend.

Foreign Pool Report #1-Moon's schedule/background info

Annyeonghaeseyo or hello,

It’s a beautiful day here at the White House. I'm Esther Oh with NHK Broadcasting and it's my pleasure to serve as your foreign pooler today.
Here’s some background information on President Moon Jae-in of South Korea that you might find useful.

Moon-Biden meeting
President Moon Jae-in is the second foreign leader to make an official working visit to the White House during the Biden administration. Today's meeting will be his fourth visit to the White House. Moon previously met with President Trump at the White House on June 29, 2017, May 22, 2018 and April 11, 2019. Prior to today's visit, Moon spoke with Biden on February 3, 2021 and also congratulated then President-elect Biden during a phone call on November 12, 2020. This is Moon’s first official overseas trip since his visit to China in December 2019.

Moon received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Seoul on March 23 and the second shot on April 30.

Earlier this week, Moon said that he will use this White House visit as an opportunity to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine cooperation with the US. Along with the vaccine, North Korea is another key topic that two leaders will discuss. Moon has previously emphasized that he hopes for a breakthrough in long-stalled talks with North Korea.

Moon’s schedule (5/19-5/22)
President Moon arrived in DC on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, he participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. He then attended a roundtable at the Capitol with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House to discuss the South Korea-US alliance. This morning, Moon met with Vice President Harris. At 12:35 PM, President Biden will host Moon at the White House. At 1 PM, Moon will participate in a Medal of Honor ceremony for Colonel Ralph Pukett, Jr., making him the first foreign leader to participate in a such an event. The two leaders will participate in a bilateral meeting at 2:15 PM and an expanded bilateral at 3:15. At 5 PM, there will be a joint press conference. After leaving the White House, Moon will attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial. On Saturday afternoon, he is expected to meet with Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop of Washington, DC. On his way back to Korea, he plans to visit SK Innovation’s battery factory in Atlanta.

About President Moon Jae-in
President Moon was born on January 24, 1953 in Geoje Island. His parents were refugees who fled from Heungnam, North Korea during the Korean War. His family then moved to Busan, South Korea's largest port city (and where your pooler’s family is from). Moon spent most of his young life in poverty and he’s even revealed on a talk show that he still doesn't know how to ride a bicycle because his family could never afford one (at the end of the show, the hosts gifted him a bicycle with training wheels).

Moon became a human rights lawyer after graduating from law school and served as a top aide to former president Roh Moo-hyun until Roh's death in 2009. Moon first ran for president in 2012 as the liberal party's candidate but lost the election to Park Geun-hye. After Park's impeachment and removal, Moon once again ran for office and won the election in a landslide, becoming the country's 12th president in May 2017. South Korean presidents can only serve a single five-year term and cannot run for reelection. Moon's term ends in May of next year.

Like President Biden, Moon is the country's second president to be a practicing Catholic while in office. His baptismal name is Timothy.

South Korea also has a rescue dog serving as the nation's First Dog. Tory (named after bamtol, the Korean word for chestnut) made headlines in 2017 for being the first rescue dog in the country's history to take the coveted title. The country also has a First Cat —a 17-year-old former stray named Jjing-jjing. The Blue House posted this adorable picture of Tory on its Instagram earlier this year:

Foreign Pool Report #2-Medal of Honor ceremony

Pool was ushered into the East Room at 12:43.

At 12:59, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Director of National Security Suh Hoon entered the room. Both men were not wearing masks. Suh and Chung chatted briefly with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Jake Sullivan, smiling and laughing throughout their conversation. They also shook hands and spoke with VP Harris and SGOTUS.

Wearing a dark navy suit and a light blue tie, President Moon Jae-in entered the room at 1:12. He shook hands with the VP before POTUS walked in.

Foreign Press Report #3-Moon remarks during ceremony

During his remarks, President Biden called President Moon Jae-in the "Prime Minister of South Korea" (the Prime Minister of South Korea is actually Kim Boo-kyum).

President Moon Jae-in took the podium at 1:28. It was hard to see from the back of the room but what looked like a small South Korean taeguki flag was pinned on his lapel.

Moon spoke in Korean, thanking Biden for inviting him to participate in the Medal of Honor ceremony, making him the first foreign leader to do so.

He thanked Korean War veterans on behalf of the Korean people, stating that their of gallantry and sacrifice will forever be remembered.

After his remarks, he shook hands with POTUS and Colonel Puckett, Jr.

After presenting the Medal of Honor, POTUS invited President Moon on stage with the Puckett family for pictures. Moon and POTUS knelt down next to the Colonel for photos.

While POTUS spoke with the rest of the family immediately after the event, Moon smiled and watched Colonel Puckett sit back down on his wheelchair.

Pool was escorted out at 1:48.

Foreign pool report #4-Moon Jae-in remarks at expanded bilat

Pool entered the State Dining Room at 3:54.

Both the South Korea and American attendees were seated at a long table with purple flowers on it.

President Moon had a simultaneous interpretation device in his ear during President Biden's remarks but took it out when he realized consecutive interpretation was being provided. While President Biden was giving his remarks, President Moon leaned forward in his chair, smiling and nodding at him from time to time.

After the remarks, a reporter shouted a question to President Biden. While the pool was being ushered out, a surprised South Korean reporter asked your pooler in Korean if it was normal for American reporters to shout questions at the President when being escorted out. Your pooler assured the reporter that it was not out of the ordinary. The Korean reporter said that reporters in his country always leave quietly when being escorted out.

Here are President Moon's remarks, as interpreted. Please check against official transcript.
---
Thank you Mr President, I'd like to express my deep gratitude to President Biden and the American people for extending such a warm hospitality to me and my delegation, and my congratulations on how the US is becoming an example for the world as it succeeds in overcoming COVID-19, achieving economic recovery and unite the nation under President Biden's leadership.

Korea and the US are strong allies, forged more than 70 years ago, America is our everlasting friend who helped us and led us in our times of direst need. And I'm very pleased to visit the US as my first overseas trip destination since the spread of COVID-19, and meet President Biden and his new team.

Even in the midst of COVID-19 crisis, our two countries left the door open to each other and helped with each other's fight against the virus and kept our people in this flow, and we are seeing increasing cases of successful cooperation between our two countries, businesses and industries that will shape the post COVID-19 era, such as semiconductors, batteries and communication. In expanding cooperation between the US, the center of global business, and Korea, a rising economic hub of East Asia, will be a breakthrough in economic recovery for not only the two countries but the entire world.

We affirmed our joint commitment to strengthening the ROK-US alliance, and bringing peace on the Korean peninsula. I believe our peoples will be delighted to hear this a day shy of, of our 139th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, and Korea will closely work with the US to achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.

The world is welcoming America's return and keeping their hopes high for America's leadership more than ever before. President Biden himself also underscored the importance of building back better and expressed his willingness to resolve common challenges of humanity, with the power of example.

Although tricky challenges lie ahead of us, as allies that share core values, our two countries will actively work together
to address global challenges, such as COVID-19, economic recovery and climate change, and we will usher in a new era. Following our meeting today, I look forward to welcoming President Biden again to the Republic of Korea in the not too distant future. Thank you very much.

Foreign Pool Report #5-Joint press conference

During the joint press conference, President Moon took questions on vaccine cooperation, China, Taiwan and North Korea. On North Korea, he stressed that he indeed believes North Korea is a priority for the Biden administration, as evidenced by the administration's policy review on North Korea.

The White House called a lid at 6:42 PM while K-pop boyband BTS' song "Dynamite"played in the background. As an avid K-pop fan, your pooler highly approves of the music selection. Have a great weekend, everyone and it was a pleasure being your foreign pooler today.