First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, wife of President Lee Jae-myung, met with Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla, on the 1st.
The two women leaders attended the opening ceremony of the 4th Women Entrepreneurs Week, held at 5 p.m. at the Dynasty Hall of the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Celebrating its 4th year, Women Entrepreneurs Week is the largest festival and statutory event for 3.26 million women entrepreneurs in Korea. The event highlighted the role and importance of women-owned corporations in the Korean economy with the slogan "Women entrepreneurs, the key to unlocking tomorrow's hope."
At 5:05 p.m., Lee entered the Dynasty Hall of the Shilla Hotel with other key guests. She was dressed in a white blouse and black pantsuit. It was neat, and it conveyed a strong impression of a female CEO. Lee, the eldest daughter of the late Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Group, is regarded as a prominent female owner entrepreneur in the country. She has led the growth of Hotel Shilla since becoming its president in 2010.
Just before 5 p.m., First Lady Kim entered, dressed in a white skirt suit. Her atmosphere was contrasting to that of Lee, radiating a somewhat gentle feeling.
All attendees stood up to welcome Kim, who then took her place at the VIP table alongside Lee. Kim sat in the seat of honor at the VIP table, with Park Chang-sook, president of the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association, seated directly next to her on the right. Lee sat beside her.
Also seated at the VIP table were Kim Seong-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, and Sung Mi-sook, president of the Women Venture Association.
Afterward, Kim and Lee sat upright, observing the award ceremony for distinguished women entrepreneurs and congratulatory performances. They applauded at various moments when the host requested applause. Both Kim and Lee maintained smiles on their faces throughout the event.
Kim stepped up to the podium to deliver an encouraging speech. She noted her hope that, as the event's slogan states, women entrepreneurs would take the lead in overcoming Korea's crisis. Kim also encouraged the efforts and achievements of women entrepreneurs who are opening new possibilities for our economy through constant challenges.
Around 5:40 p.m., as the main program of the day's event concluded, Kim left her seat.
Lee remained in her seat until the end. She circulated among the dozens of tables in the Dynasty Hall, greeting women entrepreneurs. She responded with smiles despite the endless requests for photos. From somewhere, the sound of "Lee Boo-jin! Lee Boo-jin!" could also be heard.
As the continuous requests for photos made the event difficult to manage, on-site staff and the host struggled to get people settled before proceeding to the next program.
During the event, a reporter approached Lee and asked her to share a word as a woman entrepreneur, but she repeatedly smiled and declined to comment. Later, around 6:40 p.m., near the end of the event, she went to a table with reporters for a commemorative photo. She also smiled and said, "Thank you."