Amid the successful conclusion of the South Korea-U.S. summit at the White House, attention is focused on Lee Yeon-hyang, the Director General of the Department of State's Interpretation Division, who appeared as the interpreter for U.S. President Donald Trump.
On the 25th (local time), Director General Lee appeared at the public meeting in the Oval Office, sitting next to President Trump and interpreting his words into Korean. She wrote down President Trump's remarks on a notepad while translating and received praise for delivering the message smoothly despite the length of the remarks.
This is not the first time Director General Lee has been active. Since the early 2000s, she has served as the Korean interpreter for the Department of State, known as 'Dr. Lee,' and has proved her skills by interpreting at significant diplomatic events, including the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit, former President Barack Obama's visit in 2014, and the summit between President Joe Biden and former President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2022.
During the administration of former President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that "Director General Lee is an essential member of the diplomatic interpretation team" and emphasized, "We cannot operate without her and her team."
Director General Lee's unique career has also attracted attention. Following her father, she attended an international school in Iran, graduated from Seoul Arts High School, and later enrolled in the vocal program at Yonsei University, where her related activities were limited to participating in the school's English-language newspaper. However, at the age of 33, after having already given birth to two children, she entered the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and embarked on the path of a professional interpreter.
In a conversation last year at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI), Director General Lee described her experience interpreting during the U.S.-North Korea talks as "amazing and exciting," stating that "the differences between the Korean language and North Korean language were impressive."