Park Hang-seo, Yiruma to attend state dinner for general secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam
Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 15:03
![President Lee Jae Myung, left, shakes hands with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, before their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Aug. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/11/6d222a16-1495-41c3-8024-545594adfb53.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, left, shakes hands with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, before their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Aug. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung will hold a state dinner on Monday evening to mark the visit of To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.
Lam arrived in Korea late Sunday and held a summit with Lee early Monday, marking the first visit by a foreign head of state since Lee took office in June.
The state dinner Monday evening will be attended by 66 figures from politics, business, finance and culture, including SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
Other business leaders on the attendance list include NongHyup Chairman Kang Ho-dong, Shinhan Bank CEO Jung Sang-hyuk, Seoul Semiconductor CEO Lee Chung-hoon, and Simpac Chairman and Korea Federation of Mid-sized Enterprises Chairman Choi Jin-sik.
From the government, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon will attend. Lawmakers include Kim Tae-nyeon of the Democratic Party (DP), a former head of the Korea-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Association, and Kim Seok-ki of the People Power Party (PPP), chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac are also set to attend.
![President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, before their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Aug. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/11/457d841f-1f55-43ea-9335-dc19a402bff1.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, before their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Aug. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
Cultural guests include former head coach of Vietnam's national football team Park Hang-seo, actor Ahn Jae-wook, author Hwang In-kyung, set to publish the novel “Ah! Ho Chi Minh” (translated), and Tran Bao Minh, known as “LazyFeel,” the first foreign player in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK).
From Vietnam, Lam will attend with his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, along with Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee Nguyen Duy Ngoc, the ministers of public security and national defense, and 55 other delegation members.
The menu will feature fusion Korean cuisine using specialties from Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang, where the Hwasan Lee clan, descendants of Vietnamese prince Yi Yong-sang, settled after the Korean War (1950-53). Yi Yong-sang, known as Ly Long Tuong in Vietnam, arrived on the Korean Peninsula at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
![To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly arrive at Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi on Aug. 10. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/11/328a3180-751a-4b03-8235-ca3ab9475fc0.jpg)
To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly arrive at Seoul Air Base in Gyeonggi on Aug. 10. [NEWS1]
Dishes to be served at the state dinner include seafood salad with Bonghwa mountain herbs and three-color wheat wraps, restorative summer porridge with young chicken, seasonal croaker grilled with Bonghwa doenjang (fermented soybean) sauce, Bonghwa hanwoo (Korean beef) short rib patties with summer vegetable wraps and kimchi spring rolls and buckwheat tea with persimmon crème brûlée.
The drink to be used for the toast is “Omirose Yeon,” an omija (magnolia berries) sparkling wine that won the Korean wine category at the 2024 Korea Liquor Awards.
After the dinner, pianist Yiruma — whom To Lam had expressed the most interest in meeting — will perform his signature works. The evening will also feature performances by the Vietnam National Traditional Drama Theatre and the CBS Children’s Choir.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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