Pool Reports by Min Joo Kim, The Washington Post
| Sent: | Reports: |
| May 10, 2022 11:58 KST |
SG Pool report 1: S.Korea presidential Inauguration (with background) Hello all, Greetings from Seoul. I am your pooler for Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's trip to the inauguration of the new South Korean president. SGOTUS is leading the US Presidential Delegation to attend the Inauguration of incoming South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul. Some 40,000 people including high-profile South Korean politicians and businesspeople are in attendance. People are seated on chairs on the grass, waving and cheering loudly at the stage. Mr. Emhoff arrived at the National Assembly at 10:42 a.m. (local time), according to his staff. He wore a black suit, grey-black patterned-tie and mask. He is wearing an earbud that appears to be for Korean-English translation. He is seated on a chair on the stage in front of the National Assembly's main building, along with other state guests to the inauguration. Pool is seated 70-80 feet away from him and can barely see or hear him, except for when he's seen on the screen. Pool saw on the screen President-elect Yoon shaking hands with Emhoff and other state guests on the stage at 11:02 a.m. South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol spoke in his inaugural address at 11:20 a.m. Yoon shouted out SG Emhoff as a representive of the United States, "His Excellency Mr. Douglas Emhoff Harris , Second Gentleman of the United States of America," and thanked other state guests in attendance. Pool was ushered out of the inauguration at 11:27. before Yoon's speech was finished. SG is scheduled to stay at the inauguration until 12:15. Pool is headed to the bilateral between SG and the president-elect. Below is the official programme of the inauguration. - Opening Statement, Salute to the Flag, National Anthem, Silence in Memory of Fallen Patriots, Congratulatory Address, Oath of the Office by the President, Marching of the Military Band and Honor Guard with Gun Salute, Inaugural Address by His excellency Yoon Suk-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, Congratulatory Music Performance, Farewell to Outgoing President, Departure of the President, Closing Statement Below is official background from SG's office. BACKGROUND: SECOND GENTLEMAN Today the Second Gentleman will attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol as the Head of the Presidential Inauguration. Members of the Presidential Delegation
Traveling with the Presidential Delegation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Emhoff and the Presidential Delegation will attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol. Following the ceremony, Mr. Emhoff and the Presidential Delegation will meet with President Yoon to offer their congratulations on behalf of the Biden-Administration. Afterwards, Mr. Emhoff and the Presidential Delegation will visit Deoksugung Palace. On this tour, they will see one of Korea's famous palaces, as well as learn about how Netflix, a U.S. streaming service, is supporting Korea's creative industry and supporting Korea's export of their culture. Netflix was the largest U.S. investor in Korea in 2021, investing $500 million in Korean content and has created more than 16,000 jobs. After the tour, the delegation will walk to the Ambassador's Residence (Habib House). The Habib House is a modern-day Hanok house, a traditional Korean style structure made with timber from Tennessee. While at the Habib House the delegation will be invited to sample traditional Korean products. These experiences will include, trying Makgolli, a traditional rice wine, Dalgona and a traditional candy highlighted in the Squid Game. In the evening Mr. Emhoff and the Presidential Delegation will attend President Yoon's Welcome Dinner for Foreign Guests. Let me know if you have any questions. |
| May 10, 2022 14:14 KST |
SG Pool report 2: courtsey call at Presidential Office SGOTUS Emhoff paid a courtsey call to the new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Presidential Office in Yongsan District, Seoul. The U.S. representative SG Emhoff is the first congratulatory envoy to pay a courtsey call to the New South Korean President. Envoys from Japan, UAE, and China are set to meet with President Yoon later in the afternoon. At 13:26 the SG arrived on the 5th floor of the Presidential Office for the meeting. President Yoon greeted the SG and guided him to an ornate table for guest book signing. Their staff stood on the side watching the SG as he signed the guest book. The SG took about a minute writing down. It was not immediately clear to the pool what the SG signed in the book. Pool asked the SG's staff and Korean presidential office for the info. Emhoff and the President were not masked, while rest of the people in the room were. When the SG was done signing the book, Yoon thanked him and went to stand in front of an elegant painted panel to pose for photos . In front of the panel, the SG and President Yoon shook hands while looking at the camera The two were then escorted into the meeting room. The SG and President Yoon sat at the center of a big oval table across from each other, with their staff members sitting on each side. President Yoon greeted the SG in Korean, and English translation followed. SG congratulated the new president on his election, talked about the future of two countries working together in bilateral cooperations. "President Biden has asked that I personally deliver this letter to you expressing his congratulations and desire to work with you," Emhoff said, handing a black colored folder to President Yoon. They posed for a photo holding the folder. "On behalf of the Biden-Harris administration. We all look forward to working in lockstep with you and your team to shape our common vision for an even brighter future," said the SG. President Yoon said, "This is the first time we came to work at this new Presidential office, and you are the first guest delegation we have here. Let me extend a warm welcome to you again." Pool was ushered out at 13:37. Other than the opening statement, the rest of the bilateral meeting was closed to press. I will update if there's any additional information from the bilateral. |
| May 10, 2022 16:07 KST |
SGOTUS pool report #3 - Deoksugung Palace walk Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff arrived at Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul at 15:06 (local time). Deoksugung is a historic palace that used to be inhabited by members of the Korean Royal Family. Christopher Del Corso, interim charge d'affiaires at the US embassy in Seoul, introduced SG Emhoff and the rest of the US delegation to Heather Willoughby, Professor of International Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, who guided the delegation on a tour around the palace. The delegation was also accompanied by media company Netflix's Seoul office personnel. The U.S. streaming service is supporting South Korea's creative industry and Korean cultural exports, according to background info from the SG's office. Emhoff and Willoughby discussed the architecture and a Netflix Seoul director told him about Netflix shows that take place in Korea's royal dynastic times. SG Emhoff and the delegation posed for a photo in front of Seokeodang building of the Deoksugung palace. They took their masks off and posed with a finger heart gesture popular in South Korea. (Masks are not mandatory outdoors in South Korea at the moment.) Pool was ushered out at about 15:40. This is the final pool report of the day from Seoul, as the pool does not have access to the SG's events later in the day. |
Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman Pool Reports of May 10, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/355863