Yoon makes state visit to the United States, croons 'American Pie' [REWIND 2023]

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Yoon makes state visit to the United States, croons 'American Pie' [REWIND 2023]

Published: 24 Dec. 2023, 08:00 Updated: 25 Dec. 2023, 15:21

SARAH KIM
kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr

U.S. President Joe Biden, center, and Broadway stars, left, react as Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, sings ″American Pie″ by Don McLean during a state dinner at the White House in Washington on April 26. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol charmed Americans with his rendition of the pop song "American Pie″ by Don McLean during a state dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington. The viral moment came during Yoon's state visit to the United States in April to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.

While Seoul and Washington hashed out key agreements to enhance ties, Yoon made world news headlines for his impromptu performance of the 1971 folk rock classic at the star-studded affair at the White House on April 26. Yoon was Biden's second state guest.

During their bilateral summit at the White House earlier that day, Yoon and Biden adopted the "Washington Declaration" to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korean nuclear and missile threats. The two sides also established a bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to enhance dialogue and information sharing on nuclear strategy. The NCG was formally launched in July, strengthening joint planning and execution to support U.S. nuclear operations, including deployments of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, a move that Yoon said established a "nuclear-based alliance."

The Yoon administration, in turn, has demonstrated its prioritization of Korea's alliance with the United States, expanding it to technology and supply chain cooperation as the U.S.-China strategic rivalry intensifies. Yoon visited the United States three more times in 2023 — in August for the Camp David trilateral summit, in September for the UN General Assembly in New York and in November for the APEC summit in San Francisco.