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First lady, Vietnamese party chief's wife bond over culture at National Museum

Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 18:44

Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, left, and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung view exhibits during their visit to the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Aug. 11. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

First lady Kim Hea Kyung and Ngo Phuong Ly, the wife of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, shared a lighthearted cultural exchange during a visit to the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Monday, with the Netflix animation “KPop Demon Hunters” emerging as a central topic.

The film blends K-pop and traditional Korean culture in an animated format and has become a new focal point of the Korean Wave.

Kim pointed to the magpie-and-tiger badge worn by museum director Yoo Hong-jun and said, “Even young people have a hard time getting one of those.”

The badge, resembling the tiger character Duffy from “KPop Demon Hunters,” has been selling out at the museum gift shop, prompting some foreign tourists to line up before opening to buy it.

This image released by Netflix shows characters Zoey, from left, Rumi and Mira in a scene from ″KPop Demon Hunters.″ [AP/YONHAP]

Aware of this, Kim told Yoo that Ly wanted to visit the gift shop.

Yoo replied, “If you order the goods now, you get them in December.”

Ly responded, “They said if I order the goods now, I can get them in December. I will place an order because it will give me an excuse to come back.”

Kim brought up “KPop Demon Hunters” in part because it had recently caught the attention of President Lee Jae Myung and the first lady.

Presidential aides considered adding the film to Lee's summer vacation viewing list, only to learn he had already seen it. Lee reportedly said it was “fun and quite a good work.”

“The president and first lady are paying close attention to Korean cultural content and its industrial potential,” a presidential office official said. “In particular, the first lady, being a piano major, takes a greater interest in building cultural connections during spouse diplomacy.”

The two toured the museum as part of a series of events for the leaders' spouses to get acquainted during Ly’s state visit to Korea. Kim wore a traditional Korean outfit, hanbok, while Ly wore a golden ao dai, Vietnam’s traditional dress.

Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, left, smiles with first lady Kim Hea Kyung at the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Aug. 11. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Guided by Yoo, they viewed permanent exhibits including the Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation, Uigwe from the Oegyujanggak archives, the White Porcelain Moon Jar, Buddhist statues from Gamsan Temple and the Ten-Story Stone Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple.

After the tour, they visited the gift shop, where Ly expressed interest in a beach towel printed with the royal robe gonryongpo, saying she wanted to give it to her husband.

Ly told Kim, “At tonight’s state dinner, I would like to hear your love story. I have studied you a lot.”

Kim laughed and replied, “I’m embarrassed.” Yoo also presented Ly with a miniature of the Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation, one of the shop’s most popular items.

Before touring the museum, the two first ladies spoke for 45 minutes, deputy presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong.

Kim noted Ly’s background as an art major and the former head of the culture and arts bureau at Vietnam’s state broadcaster.

“As a piano major, I have a strong interest in arts and culture, so I especially wanted to meet Madam Ngo Phuong Ly,” Kim said.

Ly responded, “I believe cooperation between Korea and Vietnam in culture and the arts will develop even further in the future.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]