▲ President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a state visit to Mongolia, practices traditional archery at the Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar on the 11th (local time). On the right is Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to Mongolia, attended the Naadam Festival—the country's largest holiday—as an official guest of honor. He watched the opening ceremony and experienced traditional Mongolian culture, including archery.
President Lee and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the opening event on the morning of the 11th (local time) alongside Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his spouse.
President Khurelsukh stated, "I am delighted to have President Lee as the guest of honor at this year's Naadam opening ceremony."
The opening ceremony, which lasted one hour and 50 minutes and featured equestrian martial arts, parades, and performances, included a surprise event where a rider carrying the South Korean flag approached President Lee to pay respects before galloping around the track.
The Naadam Festival is a national event commemorating Mongolia's freedom and independence. It consists of nomadic traditional sports such as wrestling, horse racing, and archery. Recognized for its value in preserving nomadic culture, it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
Mongolia invites top-level officials from major countries as guests of honor for this event every year. According to a written briefing by Kang Yu-jeong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Affairs, this is the first time a South Korean president has been invited as the guest of honor.
The two leaders later moved to the archery range, where they experienced traditional culture by trying their hand at Mongolian archery.
President Lee and President Khurelsukh discussed the commonality between South Korea's Gukgung (traditional archery) and Mongolian traditional archery, both of which use the "Eastern style" of drawing the bowstring with the thumb. They agreed to further activate cooperation between the two countries in the field of sports.
Standing in the lane for male athletes, President Lee held a traditional Mongolian bow, looked toward the sky at a 45-degree angle, and drew the string toward a target approximately 75 meters away.
President Lee's arrow flew past the target and struck the wall behind it, drawing laughter and applause from the spectators.
First Lady Kim, who followed him in the archery experience, received instructions from officials on how to draw the string. After aiming toward the target with an arrow nocked, she walked out to the lane designated for female athletes.
As the First Lady showed an active approach, the audience responded with applause and cheers.
The First Lady's arrow fell short of the target and landed in a puddle in the middle of the field.
After concluding the archery experience, President Lee and the First Lady wrapped up their three-day state visit to Mongolia by attending a farewell luncheon hosted by President Khurelsukh.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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