King Charles chills with Koreans in London over bingsoo
Charles, accompanied by the Korean Ambassador to Britain Yoon Yeo-cheol, visited the neighborhood to meet members of the Korean community there and try Korean dishes.
This is his first visit to the Korean community in the country.
According to Ambassador Yoon, Charles was already aware that kimchi was made of cabbage and had a curious look when he was told kimchi is a fermented dish.
Then, he went into a Korean-owned dessert shop where he learned about Korean desserts, most notably, bingsoo, a Korean-style shaved ice.
Also, during his casual talks with young people at the cafe, Charles showed interest in K-pop, wanting to learn more about the genre.
"King Charles enjoyed meeting and chatting with [members of the Korean community]. It showed his sincere attitude in embracing and comprehending Korean culture and could be a huge encouragement for Koreans in Britain," he added.
Charles on Tuesday said that he "looks forward to welcoming the president of the Republic of Korea and Kim Keon Hee for a state visit later this month" during his first King's speech at the state opening of parliament.
President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee will be in London from Nov. 20 to 23. He will be the first head of state to make a state visit to Britain since Charles's coronation in May.
President Yoon will deliver an address at the British parliament on Nov. 21 and meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Nov. 22.
The two countries are set to adopt a Korea-Britain accord detailing the future direction of bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the state visit.
BY HAN JEE-HYE, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)