First lady Kim visits Egypt’s grand museum with Egyptian first lady

First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on his official visit to Egypt, toured the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum on November 20 (local time) with Egypt’s First Lady Entissar El-Sisi. The two first ladies spent more than an hour exploring the museum, which opened on November 1, and discussed Egypt’s extensive history and advanced preservation technologies.

Kim remarked that she was “deeply impressed by Egypt’s rich cultural heritage and sophisticated conservation efforts,” adding that she hopes to pursue cooperative projects with the National Museum of Korea. She also extended an invitation for the Egyptian First Lady to visit Korea and presented a set of gifts, including a permanent exhibition catalog and souvenirs from the National Museum’s “MUSE” collection. The gift set also included items related to the Netflix animated series K-pop Demon Hunters (KDH), such as a magpie-tiger badge and a gat-shaped keychain.

First Lady Entissar responded warmly, saying that Kim’s visit “made the occasion even more special” and that the visit holds “meaningful significance for the Egyptian people.” Kim is the first spouse of a head of state to tour the Grand Egyptian Museum following its opening.

Later, Kim visited major heritage sites including the Pyramids and the Sphinx, guided by Egyptian officials. She also viewed a work by Korean artist Park Jong-gyu, who was invited to the Pyramid International Art Festival. Kim expressed strong interest, saying she was curious how Egypt preserves cultural relics dating back thousands of years, noting that Korea also possesses many ancient stone monuments. According to Deputy Spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo, Kim conveyed her appreciation to Park, telling him she was “proud” of his work.