First lady Kim Jung-sook takes a look around a historical exhibit at the cultural center for ethnic Koreans, in Ussuriysk, Russia, on Sept. 6.
By Lee Hana
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae
First lady Kim Jung-sook, currently in Russia with President Moon Jae-in, visited Ussuriysk on Sept. 6, a city some 98 km north of Vladivostok that was once a major foothold of the Korean independence movement. While there, the first lady paid a visit to the cultural center for Goryeoin, the term for ethnic Koreans, toured the exhibit halls and met with members of the local community.
The first lady sat down and made hahoe traditional masks with local children during an arts and crafts session. Later, she watched an adult choir rehearsal.
“There were people in the choir that could no longer speak Korean fluently, but when they sang ‘Arirang,’ several members were teary.” After their rehearsal, the first lady thanked each of them individually, holding their hands as she exchanged greetings, reported Cheong Wa Dae’s vice spokesperson Ko Min-jung.
First lady Kim Jung-sook visits a cultural center for ethnic Koreans in Ussuriysk, Russia, and partakes in an arts and crafts class for young kids on Sept. 6.
During her visit to Ussuriysk, the first lady paid her respects at a memorial stone for the late independence activist Yi Sangsul (이상설) (1870-1917) who died in the city.
In 1907, Yi Sangsul and his compatriots Yi Jun and Yi Wi-Jong were sent as confidential emissaries to the Second Peace Conference at The Hague in the Netherlands.
The first lady visited Yi’s memorial stone with Yi’s grand- and great-grandchildren. “This year marks a century since the death of Yi Sangsul. Today is a meaningful day. The great deeds of our patriotic martyrs will never be forgotten,” said Kim.
The first lady receives a bouquet of flowers from a boy at a cultural center for ethnic Koreans in Ussuriysk, Russia, on Sept. 6.
First lady Kim Jung-sook pays her respects at a memorial stone for the late independence activist Yi Sangsul, accompanied by Yi’s grandchild and great-grandchild, in Ussuriysk, Russia, on Sept. 6.
Flowers brought by first lady Kim Jung-sook rest upon the memorial stone for the late independence activist Yi Sangsul, in Ussuriysk, Russia, on Sept. 6.
First lady Kim Jung-sook poses for a group photo with members of a local choir, at a cultural center for ethnic Koreans in Ussuriysk, Russia, on Sept. 6.
hlee10@korea.kr
