Culture in colour: Performers in South Korean traditional costume taking to the stage outside the venue for the Apec CEO summit in Gyeongju. — AP
World leaders and business titans gathered this week to hash out issues from tariffs and AI to disputed history and regional security.
But beyond the staid statecraft, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit and sideline events in South Korea featured plenty of nods to the host country’s vibrant pop culture and history.
Trump’s golden crown
US President Donald Trump may be facing “No Kings” protests back home, but in South Korea, officials had the perfect gift for the gold-loving magnate – a replica of an ancient royal crown.
At a lavish ceremony in the historic capital of Gyeongju, Trump was presented with a replica of the “largest and most extravagant” gold crown from the Silla dynasty, which ruled from 57 BC to 935 AD.
Catering to the US leader’s fondness for the precious metal, President Lee Jae-myung wore a gold tie and Trump was also served a gold-themed dessert.
Meanwhile, across the United States, protesters have decried Trump’s “king-like” presidency. After news of the gift broke, memes mocking a crowned Trump flooded social media.
Chicken and beer
Jensen Huang, the CEO of US tech giant Nvidia, came to announce plans to supply 260,000 of the firm’s most advanced chips to South Korea. But he also made headlines for indulging in one of the nation’s favourite pairings – fried chicken and beer, known as “chimaek”.
Huang’s dinner with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun in Seoul drew crowds of spectators and reporters and went viral.
Nvidia reportedly chose the restaurant, Kkanbu – meaning “friend” and popularised by the megahit series Squid Game – to symbolise cooperation on artificial intelligence and chipmaking.
Fried chicken, a staple of South Korean cuisine, is eaten everywhere from family gatherings to “mukbang” livestreams, often paired with cold beer during baseball games.
Huang even admitted he had indulged in another, more potent, Korean concoction – “somaek”, in which a shot of popular spirit soju is dropped into a glass of beer – and that it had left him a little bleary-eyed the next day.
K-pop, rice brew, ‘gat’
The highlight of Friday’s Apec grand welcome dinner – attended by leaders including China’s Xi Jinping – was a performance by K-pop megastar G-Dragon.
The 37-year-old star appeared onstage wearing a traditional Korean hat known as a “gat”, featured in Netflix’s animated megahit KPop Demon Hunters.
The hat, now rarely seen in modern Korea, drew global attention after the hit animated film featuring the Saja Boys – demons who wear it as part of their disguise as a popular K-pop boyband – became a sensation.
Xi and South Korean President Lee were also spotted drinking “makgeolli”, a traditional Korean rice brew. — AFP
