The song “American Pie” also became a hot topic at a dinner held on the 17th by President Seok-yeol Yoon and his wife, First Lady Kim Gun-hee, inviting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.
After the summit meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau, President Yoon moved to the Blue House guesthouse and held an official dinner.
During his remarks, Prime Minister Trudeau, who followed President Yoon’s toast, said, “President Yoon has already shown the world how good he is at singing three weeks ago.”
He was referring to President Yoon’s passionate singing of Don McLean’s American Pie at the White House state dinner. When American Pie was mentioned, attendees burst into laughter.
Prime Minister Trudeau said that American Pie is a song about a beautiful but sad fact, and introduced a separate passage of lyrics written by a Montreal singer.
Prime Minister Trudeau said, “The singer said in the lyrics, ‘Everything is a gap, but light can come in through the gaps’.” .
Prime Minister Trudeau also said, “It’s been 60 years since our two countries established diplomatic relations.”
In his toast address earlier, President Yoon also pointed out, “In Korean traditional culture, it means longevity, so we celebrate the 60th birthday in a special way.”
President Yoon evaluated Canada as a country that helped Korea during the Korean War in the past, and that it has developed bilateral relations as a friend and blood ally over the past 60 years.
“The possibilities for cooperation between the two countries are limitless,” said President Yoon. .
Quoting former Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrey Laurier’s statement, “Canada is free, and freedom is Canada’s national character,” President Yoon said, “We will work closely with Canada for a free, peaceful and prosperous world.”
President Yoon shouted “Stronger together” as a toast.
Meanwhile, the dinner was attended by figures from the Korean government and the National Assembly, as well as business figures such as Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, Hanwha Aerospace President Son Jae-il, and LG Energy Solutions President Lee Bang-soo. Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was also present.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.