PM Wong’s wife Loo Tze Lui enjoyed sit-down with Korean First Lady during Seoul visit

SINGAPORE: Loo Tze Lui, the wife of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, sat down for a visit with Kim Hea Kyung, the First Lady of Korea, on Sunday (Nov 2).

Ahn Gwi-ryeong, the deputy spokesperson for Korean President Lee Jae-myung, said in a written briefing that the two women shared a conversation that ranged from topics such as education and cultural cooperation, Korean food, and the famous singer G-Dragon, whom Ms Loo had recently seen at a performance at a gala dinner at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit at Gyeongju on Oct 31.

Ms Loo, a former investment banker, had served on the YMCA Board of Directors for eight years before stepping down in 2024, the year her husband became Prime Minister.

While she has kept a very low profile and there is little known about her personal life, she began to make a splash in 2023, during her first official appearance at the inauguration of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

When her husband was sworn in on May 15, 2024, Ms Loo’s understated elegance caught the attention of many online.

Korea visit

Photos of the visit between Ms Loo and Ms Kim were shared by President Lee’s office, which showed both women in deep blue suits talking animatedly at the Blue House in Yongsan, Seoul.

Aside from light-hearted topics, the women also touched on the low birth rate in Singapore and South Korea, as well as the endeavours to address this pressing issue.

On another note, Ms Loo told Ms Kim that Korean food, including bulgogi, kimchi stew, japchae, and soft tofu stew, are popular in Singapore. And when she mentioned Let’s Cook Rice, a cookbook written by Ms Kim, the South Korean First Lady gifted her with a copy of the book.

This was not the only present Ms Loo received that day, as she was also given a tea set with a pattern of magnolias. Meanwhile, PM Wong, a known guitar aficionado, was presented with an electric guitar embellished with mother-of-pearl lacquer by President Lee.

As for having seen G-Dragon perform, Ms Loo said: “My experience in Gyeongju during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was impressive. In particular, there is no one in Singapore who does not know the singer G-Dragon. I drew envy from those around me by watching the performance at the welcome banquet.”

Ms Lee, meanwhile, told her: “I hope that by visiting both Gyeongju and Seoul this time, you were able to experience Korea’s diverse charms.” /TISG

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