President Lee Jae-myung's wife, Kim Hea-kyung, met with Brazil's first lady Rosângela da Silva on the 21st and spent a social day at the National Folk Museum in Paju, Gyeonggi, and at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, Seoul.
In the afternoon, Kim visited Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, Seoul, with da Silva. Deputy spokesperson Jeon Eun-su said in a written briefing that the schedule was arranged to share the beauty of hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, and to strengthen the friendship between the two first ladies.
On this day, Kim wore a hanbok with a green jeogori jacket and skirt, with a yellow otgoreum ribbon, symbolizing the colors of the Brazilian flag. It conveyed a message of welcome to the Brazilian state guests.
Kim mentioned the "hanbok proof shot" that da Silva had posted on her social media (SNS) and praised her, saying it looked great on her. Da Silva replied, "It's an honor," adding, "Hanbok is so beautiful. I made a Korean 'finger heart' while wearing hanbok, and Korea is hugely popular among young people in Brazil."
The two visited a custom hanbok shop inside Gwangjang Market. When da Silva chose a pink-toned fabric, Kim said, "In Korea, the mothers of the bride and groom sometimes match the colors of their hanbok for weddings," and picked a different-colored fabric with the same pattern. They then went to an accessories shop, where Kim chose a binyeo hairpin, a dwikkoji back pin, and a norigae pendant in the same design but in different colors, and selected identical finger rings.
Afterward, the two moved to the National Folk Museum in Paju and toured the exhibition "Rio Carnival of Brazil, the rhythm of samba, the soul of Africa" together. There, they listened to explanations about items related to the world-renowned Rio Carnival and watched videos from last year's festival.
When Kim and da Silva stood by the "Mangueira Samba School" sign installed in the first-floor lobby, da Silva said that while the samba festival is the best festival in the world, it used to be a festival of the poor, and she gave detailed explanations of the festival's origins and meaning, as well as Brazil's history and cultural diversity.
When da Silva demonstrated a samba rhythm by beating a festival drum herself in the hands-on exhibition space, Kim clapped and beamed.
Moving to the storage, the two viewed tteoksal (a cooking tool for making rice cakes), soban tables, and bandaji chests. Da Silva also showed interest in accessories such as Korea's binyeo and norigae, and Kim explained their uses and how to wear them.
After finishing their museum tour, the two had a tea meeting.
At the tea meeting, da Silva mentioned Brazil's parade and again invited Kim, saying she would be pleased if she visited. Kim replied that it would be nice to try to coordinate the schedule.
When da Silva's party expressed affection for Korean dramas, Kim welcomed it, saying that not only K-pop but also K-dramas play a big role in emotionally connecting the world.
Da Silva then asked Kim, who majored in piano in college, whether she still plays piano. Kim said that as she has accompanied her husband on his political journey, she has lost opportunities to perform.
Cheong Wa Dae deputy spokesperson Jeon Eun-su said the two agreed that their husbands have many similarities, and conveyed that Kim said she respects da Silva for having supported President Lula with devotion during difficult times.
Da Silva is the wife of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is scheduled to make a state visit to Korea for three days and two nights starting on the 22nd. Da Silva arrived ahead of President Lula and had a social schedule with Kim.