First Lady Kim Kun-hee Participates in APEC Wedding Program at Apple Park
By Reporter Kim Tae-hoon, Seoul
During her visit to the United States, First Lady Kim Kun-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, partook in the APEC Wedding Program at Apple Park, Apple headquarters, under the theme of ‘Mental Health’ on the 17th of November (local time).
Mrs. Kim has been demonstrating a keen interest in mental health activities, having previously attended the ‘It’s OK, Don’t Worry’ dialogue for mental health back in September.
The event, hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, was attended by Mrs. Kim, as well as the spouses of the heads of state from Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. Also present at Mrs. Biden’s invitation was Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Rosé, a member of the K-pop girl group ‘Blackpink’.
At a round table discussion on mental health, Mrs. Biden emphasized the need to address the issue in light of the modern technological era, where communication has become easier while the feelings of isolation and anxiety continue to prevail.
Mrs. Kim echoed this sentiment, speaking to the competitive nature of Korean society and its impact on individuals’ well-being. She emphasized the need for various health programs to address these challenges.
The participants agreed that mental health is a global issue that requires collective solutions, and that the public perception of mental health needs to shift to enable open conversations, similar to those about physical health.
Rosé also shared her personal experiences, expressing the significance of self-worth and how her music aims to inspire and comfort others.
Following the event, Mrs. Kim toured Apple’s Experience Space, reviewing the mental health-related technologies for Apple Vision Pro and Apple Watch set for release next year. She also explored the innovative aspects of Apple Park’s environment and its emphasis on mental health, including the provision of quiet rooms for meditation and prayer.
Mrs. Kim expressed her admiration for Apple’s efforts in creating a mentally healthy workspace and called for similar initiatives in Korea. She also had the opportunity to visit a building designed by her favorite high-tech architectural master, Norman Foster.
During her discussions with Mrs. Biden, Mrs. Kim highlighted the relationship between Steve Jobs and the artist Mark Rothko, underscoring the late Apple founder’s admiration for Rothko’s work and her personal experience planning a Rothko exhibition.
Mrs. Biden expressed her gratitude for Mrs. Kim’s active engagement in mental health initiatives, appreciating her ongoing interest and involvement in this vital area.
For inquiries, contact taehun02@newspim.com
politics | 2023.11.18 09:09
[서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Kim Tae-hoon = First Lady Kim Kun-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is touring the United States, participated in the APEC Wedding Program held under the theme of ‘Mental Health’ at Apple Park, Apple headquarters, on the 17th (local time).
Mrs. Kim paying close attention to mental health activities, such as attending the ‘It’s OK, Don’t Worry’ dialogue for mental health last September.
Hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, the event was attended by First Lady Kim, spouses of heads of state from Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, and Apple CEO Tim Cook Rosé, a member of the K-pop girl group ‘Blackpink’, also present at Mrs Biden’s invitation. We were together.
[서울=뉴스핌] First Lady Kim Kun-hee speaks with Jill Biden, wife of US President Joe Biden, at a reception hosted by the First Lady of the United States held at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York on the 20th (local time) .[사진=대통령실] 2023.09.22 photo@newspim.com
In a round table discussion on mental health, Mrs Biden mentioned that communication between people has become easier with modern technology, but she also said that efforts should now be made to improve mental health due to isolation and anxiety.
Mrs. Kim sympathized with this and said, “Korea has the characteristic of being very aware of each other in a competitive society.”
He added, “Because of the excessive sense of competition, many emotions are involved, which leads to more fatigue,” adding, “I hope these problems will be improved through various health programs thinking.”
The participants agreed that mental health is a global issue that everyone must come up with solutions for together, and that perception needs to change to enable people to talk openly about mental health just like physical health .
Blackpink member Rosé also shared her experience. Rosé’s journey to success as a singer was not an easy one and she still faces difficulties at times, but she realized that appreciating your own worth is important, and she hopes that her music based on this will give inspiration and comfort for many people and I conveyed my meaning.
Mrs Kim thanked Rosé for sharing her difficult story and encouraging her, saying, “The global influence of K-pop and Korean culture, including Blackpink, is great, and I look forward to conveying emotion with music in the future and positive messages.”
Ms Kim then toured Apple’s Experience Space to demonstrate mental health-related technologies for Apple Vision Pro and Apple Watch, due for release next year, and took a walk through Apple Park and visited a building Apple’s circular headquarters.
Ms Kim noted that Apple Park is an innovative building in terms of environment, and evaluated the fact that each building has a ‘quiet room’ for meditation, prayer, etc. as “part of our efforts for mental health.”
Mrs Kim said, “Apple’s eco-friendly and carbon-neutral construction method and the careful work of creating a space that emphasizes the mental health of employees impresses me. I hope there will be more places like this in Korea. “
In addition, Mrs Kim expressed her pleasure by saying that she got to see a building designed by her favorite high-tech architectural master, Norman Foster.
Mrs Kim and Mrs Biden recalled visiting the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and seeing the work of Mark Rothko together during their state visit to the United States in April, and also spoke about the relationship between Apple founder Steve Jobs and Mark Rothko.
Mrs Kim presented that the late Steve Jobs studied the work of Mark Rothko and hung his work throughout his work space while he was alive, and that she also had experience planning a Mark Rothko exhibition in the past based on this inspiration.
Mrs. Biden expressed her gratitude for participating in APEC’s joint program on mental health, an area in which Mrs. Kim always interested in him and active.
taehun02@newspim.com
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