SEOUL– First lady Kim Keon-hee asked German first lady Elke Budenbender on Friday to help make Korean cultural assets in Germany more widely available to the South Korean public, the presidential office said.
The two held separate talks for about an hour at the presidential office as President Yoon Suk-yeol and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a summit during the latter’s three-day official visit to the country, according to the office.
Budenbender first extended her condolences over the deadly crowd crush that killed more than 150 people in Seoul last week, and Kim expressed her deep gratitude.
The two also agreed on the need for people-to-people and cultural exchanges as the two countries celebrate 140 years of bilateral relations next year.
“First lady Kim especially welcomed Germany’s continued return of our cultural assets, and stated her hope that our people will be able to enjoy the cultural assets still remaining in Germany on the occasion of the 140th anniversary next year,” the office said.
“In response, first lady Budenbender said it is important for people to enjoy their own cultural assets and that she would take an interest and make an effort,” it said.
Kim also mentioned the Korean nurses who were sent to former West Germany in the 1960s and 70s to earn money for their then-impoverished country, saying she hopes to have a chance to meet with them together with Budenbender as next year will mark 60 years since the first nurses were dispatched.
Budenbender welcomed the idea as she recalled the care her grandmother received from Korean nurses and the gratitude Germans continue to feel toward them.
Kim further explained the South Korean government’s efforts to bring the 2030 World Expo to Busan, a city Budenbender will be visiting on Saturday, as the German first lady showed a deep interest, according to the presidential office.
Budenbender said she was delighted to get to know Kim during her visit to Seoul and thanked the South Korean government for its hospitality.
Source: Yonhap News Agency