First ladies of Korea and Egypt share cuisine and culture during talks in Cairo
Published: 21 Nov. 2025, 10:17
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung, left, and Egypt’s first lady Entissar El-Sisi walk to the reception room at the presidential palace in Cairo on Nov. 20. [JUN MIN-KYU]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/21/07ccf836-abe7-4b08-a5d6-cb0286efa90a.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung, left, and Egypt’s first lady Entissar El-Sisi walk to the reception room at the presidential palace in Cairo on Nov. 20. [JUN MIN-KYU]
CAIRO — First lady Kim Hea Kyung held talks and a luncheon Thursday with Egypt’s first lady Entissar El-Sisi, the wife of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during the Korean leader’s official visit to Egypt.
The talks and luncheon took place at the Egyptian presidential palace while President Lee Jae Myung and President el-Sisi were holding a summit, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo.
At the luncheon, Entissar El-Sisi personally introduced traditional Egyptian dishes, and Kim expressed her appreciation. Kim in turn highlighted the appeal of K-food, which has been drawing growing global interest alongside the spread of K-culture.
Kim also told first lady El-Sisi she hoped to have an opportunity to personally host her with halal food made using Korean ingredients.
Kim praised the Egyptian first lady for her efforts in advancing women’s rights and status. “I was impressed by your particular interest in protecting women’s rights and improving their status,” she was quoted as saying. “I believe many women and young people in Egypt have gained courage and confidence as a result.”
First lady El-Sisi responded that Kim was “so bright and approachable that it feels like we have been friends for a long time,” adding that she hoped cultural exchanges between Korea and Egypt would become even more active following their meeting, according to Jeon.
After their talks and luncheon at the Egyptian presidential palace, Kim and first lady El-Sisi headed to the Grand Egyptian Museum together. First lady El-Sisi suggested they share the same vehicle, and the two talked for about 40 minutes on the way.
![A statue of Ramses II stands at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/21/5783aae2-11c7-4a69-8826-fc31e28d9095.jpg)
A statue of Ramses II stands at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
The two first ladies toured the museum for more than an hour. The museum, which opened on Nov. 1, displays more than 100,000 artifacts, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun and a statue of Ramses II. Jeon noted that this was the first visit by a spouse of a head of state since the museum’s opening.
President Lee and first lady Kim had been invited by the Egyptian government to the museum’s opening ceremony in early November but were unable to attend.
“At the time, I regretted that I could not attend due to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] summit in Gyeongju,” Kim said during the visit. “But being able to come today with first lady Entissar makes it all the more meaningful.”
Kim added that she hoped to promote future cooperation with the National Museum of Korea, which has recently become highly popular following the success of Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters."
She presented first lady El-Sisi with a catalog of the National Museum of Korea’s permanent collection and a souvenir from the museum shop brand MU:DS. Kim said that if first lady El-Sisi visits Korea, she would like to reciprocate the warm hospitality shown that day by inviting her to the National Museum of Korea.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attend a joint press conference following their summit talks at the presidential palace in Cairo on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/21/66bfdcd1-20d1-42d5-a402-959923480131.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attend a joint press conference following their summit talks at the presidential palace in Cairo on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]
Later, Kim toured the pyramids and the Sphinx and visited the international art fair Forever Is Now, where artists from around the world install works in front of the desert pyramids under the theme of combining ancient pyramids with contemporary art and digital technology.
Korean artist Park Jong-kyu was invited to the festival and is exhibiting a work titled “Code of the Eternal.”
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.
BY YOON SUNG-MIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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