President Lee Jae Myung proposes a toast at the gala dinner for the APEC summit at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. (Yonhap)
To wrap up the first day of the world leaders’ meeting for the APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, President Lee Jae Myung hosted a gala dinner on Friday evening, welcoming key figures to the two-day event at the Lahan Select Gyeongju Hotel.
The event brought together leaders from 21 APEC member economies, including President Xi Jinping from China, as well as key business figures like Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong. Other invited guests included the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and a delegation from the United Arab Emirates.
President Lee Jae Myung (fourth from left) toasts Chinese President Xi Jinping at the gala dinner for the APEC summit at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. (Yonhap)
The gala dinner featured dishes curated by Korean American star chef Edward Lee, who rose to prominence in South Korea for his appearance on Netflix’s cooking competition “Culinary Class Wars.”
According to the presidential office, Friday’s meal was also overseen by President Lee, who personally developed the appetizers and desserts, incorporating ingredients sourced from Gyeongju.
Clockwise from top left: gondalbi bibimbap with sundubu soup served with three kinds of side dishes, braised Gyeongju Millennium Hanwoo galbijjim with Wando abalone and snowman-shaped rice cake, Jirisan chrysanthemum flower tea and bite-size desserts served in a mother-of-pearl box (Presidential office)
Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong (left) and chef Edward Lee are seen participating in the gala dinner for the APEC summit at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. (Yonhap)
From left: Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim take part in the gala dinner for the APEC summit at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. (Yonhap)
