First lady Kim Jung-sook (right) and U.S. first lady Melania Trump walk through the Cheong Wa Dae gardens on Nov. 7.

By Lee Hana

Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

While President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump held the Korea-U.S. summit at Cheong Wa Dae on Nov. 7, first ladies Kim Jung-sook and Melania Trump spent the day together, chatting and touring the presidential grounds.

"Thank you for travelling all this way to visit us," said Kim, greeting first lady Trump in the reception room. "I hope that Korea and the U.S. will be brought even closer together through a relationship based on trust and peace. It`s my hope to play a part in furthering this friendship," she added.

Thanking Kim for her warm reception, Trump said she thought the day`s honor guard procession was very beautiful.

The two executive spouses shared the sentiment that being first lady came with a number of very big responsibilities, and exchanged their views on children, education, security, peace and the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. 

When Kim said, "We have a responsibility to give our children the brightest of futures, yet the North Korean nuclear weapons issue looms over us, and this troubles me deeply," Trump replied that, "Not only Korea, but the entire world is closely observing the issue. We must not let tragedy strike."

Kim also mentioned the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics, saying that she hopes North Korea will participate in the games, making it an Olympics of Peace. To this Trump replied that, "I wish for a successful launch of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

First lady Kim Jung-sook (right) and U.S. first lady Melania Trump greet the students that participated in the welcome ceremony for the U.S. president, at the Cheong Wa Dae Nokjiwon Gardens on Nov. 7.

Following the initial reception, the first ladies took a stroll and enjoyed the autumnal scenery of Cheong Wa Dae`s gardens. Upon arriving at the Nokjiwon Gardens, they were met by a group of Korean and U.S. students that had participated in the day`s welcome ceremony. Children from local elementary schools, from families of the Eighth U.S. Army and from the U.S. Embassy in Korea were in attendance. 

The first ladies thanked the children for their hard work, and gave the children scarves colored in white, red and blue -- representing both the Korean and U.S. national flags -- as a token of their appreciation. 

First lady Kim Jung-sook (right) and U.S. first lady Melania Trump make their way from the Cheong Wa Dae reception room on Nov. 7.

First lady Kim Jung-sook (right) smiles as U.S. first lady Melania Trump holds up a welcome book made for her by local students, at the Cheong Wa Dae Nokjiwon Gardens on Nov. 7.

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