ABU DHABI– First lady Kim Keon Hee met with the UAE president’s mother and shared their views on various cultural and social issues, the presidential office said Monday.
Kim was invited to dinner with Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, the mother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the Sea Palace in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, according to senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.
The first lady is accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his four-day state visit to the UAE.
Fatima, who is also the widow of UAE founder and inaugural president Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, said a state visit of the scale enjoyed by Yoon was “difficult to witness since President Mohamed’s inauguration and also historically,” according to Kim, the senior secretary.
“President Mohamed has a special interest” in Yoon’s visit, she was quoted as saying.
The first lady recalled her visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque earlier that day, saying she paid her respects at the late president’s grave.
“I was able to feel the spirit of tolerance of former President Zayed,” she was quoted as saying.
Kim also expressed her respect for Fatima’s efforts to enhance the rights of UAE women and increase their social participation. She invited Fatima to visit South Korea and the president’s mother responded that she would.
The same day, the first lady met separately with UAE Culture Minister Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi at the Qasr Al Watan presidential palace.
At the palace library, Kim told the minister she was aware the UAE people were reading a lot of Korean books, and that she hopes the books will also be used to produce movies and dramas in the UAE.
The minister said the UAE government opened the presidential palace to the public several years ago and that she had heard South Korea’s former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae was also opened to the public.
Kim responded that she would like to take the minister to Cheong Wa Dae if she visits South Korea, according to the senior secretary.
Source: Yonhap News Agency