By UN Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner in Seoul on May 26 to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, Chinese Premier Li Chang, and other delegations from the three countries to the 9th Trilateral Summit.

The dinner's performances and exhibits focused on the theme of “exchanges and harmony among the three countries” and featured cultural artists from Korea, Japan, and China. The welcome dinner harmoniously showcased the cultural commonalities of the three countries, which have a long history of interaction, and the individuality of each country that has blossomed from them.

The dinner showcased works created by ceramic artists from the three countries with more than 20 years of experience, and featured performances by a multicultural children's choir, a traditional instrumental ensemble, and a contemporary music band with performers from the three countries.

The dinner began with a choir of 21 multicultural children from Korea, Japan, and China singing representative folk songs from Japan and China celebrating the meeting of the three countries on a beautiful spring day.

The children's choir also presented a performance based on the “Korea-Japan-China Future Dreamers 2020 Time Capsule Event,” which was held during the third Korea-Japan-China Summit in 2010. 

The choir members found a letter in the time capsule that was buried in 2010 by 2,020 children from the three countries who were 10 years old at the time, wishing for peace, prosperity, and friendship among the three countries, and sang the Korean children's song “Rainbow Light Harmony” in response to the promise made 14 years ago.

The dinner was followed by an after-dinner performance by musicians from the three countries playing traditional instruments. Traditional instrumentalists from the three countries, including Korean gayageum, Japanese shakuhachi, and Chinese erhu, joined together to perform representative songs from China and Japan.

The final performance was a contemporary band from the three countries singing about friendship. The musicians of the three countries sang “Spring Rain” by Shin Jung-hyun as an encore song, which was applauded by the participants.

After his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Chang later in the day, President Yoon referred to Dubo's poem “Chunyaheewoo” (春夜喜雨), a poem written by Dubo in response to the spring rains, and expressed his delight at the reunion eight months after his meeting with Li Chang in Jakarta, Indonesia, last September.

The dinner was attended by more than 70 guests from South Korea, Japan, and China. From the government, Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Cho Tae-yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ahn Deok-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, were in attendance, while from the presidential office, Chung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff, Jang Ho-jin, Chief of National Security, Kim Tae-hyo, First Director of the Security Service, Wang Yun-jong, Third Director of the Security Service, Lee Do-woon, Chief of Public Relations, and Park Chun-seop, Chief of Economic Affairs.