First lady Kim Hye-kyung visits first Gyeongbokgung outdoor wedding
In short
Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of President Lee Jae-myung, visited the first outdoor wedding held at Gyeongbokgung and congratulated the couple, the presidential office said on Oct 4. The first couple was Estonian YouTuber Mai, who runs a channel introducing Korean traditional culture, and her Korean husband. The weddings, planned by the Korea Heritage Service, run until Nov 8 for a total of 28 couples.
Read the full story 1 min read
Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of President Lee Jae-myung, visited the first outdoor wedding held at Gyeongbokgung and congratulated the couple, the presidential office said. Deputy presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryung said in a written briefing on Oct 4 that Kim visited the site at the ginkgo rest area of the National Palace Museum of Korea ahead of the outdoor ceremony and congratulated the couple on their new start. Dong-A Ilbo reported that the wedding took place at 1 p.m. on Oct 2. [ 1 , 2 ]
The first couple was Estonian YouTuber Mai, who runs the channel “Kimchi Ghost Mai” and introduces Korean traditional culture including hanbok, and her Korean husband, according to Yonhap. Kim congratulated Mai on her marriage, the report said. [ 1 , 2 ]
The outdoor weddings at Gyeongbokgung were planned by the Korea Heritage Service so that people can enjoy the value of cultural heritage in their daily lives, Yonhap reported. The events run until Nov 8, with weddings every weekend for a total of 28 couples, it said. Dong-A Ilbo reported that the programme, named “Marry at the Palace Museum”, is held twice a day on weekends and public holidays at the ginkgo rest area in front of the museum in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and that it was started to use national heritage while easing the cost of marriage for young people. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kim said she hopes cultural heritage “will not remain in solemn spaces but be familiarly together with people in their daily lives”, according to the presidential office. Dong-A Ilbo reported that she also stressed support to ease the marriage burden on young people and the everyday use of cultural heritage. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The programme is the first use of Gyeongbokgung for public weddings, and the presidential office tied it to letting people enjoy cultural heritage in daily life. Dong-A Ilbo reported the project is also intended to ease the cost of marriage for young people, a stated policy aim. The first lady's visit gives the opening round of weddings national attention.
Key facts
- Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of President Lee Jae-myung, visited the first “Gyeongbokgung wedding” and congratulated the couple [ 1 , 2 ]
- Deputy presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryung announced the visit in a written briefing on Oct 4 [ 1 , 2 ]
- The first outdoor wedding was held at 1 p.m. on Oct 2 at the ginkgo rest area of the National Palace Museum of Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul [ 2 ]
- The first couple was Estonian YouTuber Mai, who introduces Korean traditional culture including hanbok on the channel “Kimchi Ghost Mai”, and her Korean husband [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Korea Heritage Service planned the outdoor weddings so people can enjoy the value of cultural heritage in daily life, with events running until Nov 8 [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo said the programme, named “Marry at the Palace Museum”, holds two weddings a day on weekends and public holidays for 28 couples in total and aims to ease young people's marriage costs [ 2 ]
- Kim said she hopes cultural heritage will be familiarly together with people in their daily lives rather than staying in solemn spaces [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of President Lee Jae-myung, visited the first Gyeongbokgung outdoor wedding and congratulated the couple, per the presidential office [ 1 , 2 ]
- One of the first couple is an Estonian YouTuber named Mai who runs a channel about Korean traditional culture [ 1 , 2 ]
- The weddings are held in Gyeongbokgung, at the National Palace Museum of Korea [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Kim stayed for the wedding ceremony itself or only visited the site beforehand Yonhap says she visited the site ahead of the wedding and congratulated the couple; Dong-A Ilbo also says she visited ahead of the wedding. Neither says whether she attended the ceremony.
- The exact time of Kim's visit Yonhap says she visited that afternoon, while Dong-A Ilbo places the wedding at 1 p.m. on the same day; the documents do not give the time of her visit.
- Kim's reported emphasis on easing the marriage burden for young people Only Dong-A Ilbo reports this and attributes it to what was conveyed rather than to a direct quotation; Yonhap quotes her only on cultural heritage.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The first outdoor wedding is held at the ginkgo rest area of the National Palace Museum of Korea in Gyeongbokgung; Kim Hye-kyung visits the site ahead of it and congratulates the first couple (Oct 2) [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap reports the presidential office's written briefing on the visit (Oct 4) [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes its report on the visit and the wedding programme (Oct 4) [ 2 ]