Lee Visits Chile's "Korea Street," Asks Locals, "Is Korean Food Delicious?"

[Financial News, Seoul and Santiago, Chile = Reporters Sung Seok-woo and Choi Jong-geun]President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, who are visiting Chile, met with overseas Koreans and local residents at Santiago's "Korea Street."
Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy spokesperson for the Blue House, said in a written briefing on the 30th local time that the presidential couple visited Korea Street in Santiago's Patronato district that afternoon. After Lee congratulated the designation of Korea Street at a meeting with overseas Koreans in Chile the previous day, he visited the site in person.
Korea Street is a roughly 600-meter stretch in Patronato, where the Korean Association hall and Korean-owned shops are concentrated. It was recently designated through a renaming of the existing street. The project, promoted by the Chile Korean Association, came to fruition after approval procedures by the district office and district council.
At the scene, overseas Koreans and residents waving the South Korean flag welcomed the presidential couple. They cheered, shouting, "Welcome" and "We are glad to see you," while one overseas Korean sang the Korean national anthem to express his welcome.
The presidential couple first visited the Chile Korean Association and heard an update from association president Ha Sang-wook on its activities, its self-defense system, and the space used as an overseas voting station.
They then walked through the area lined with Korean-owned shops and met with overseas Koreans and local residents. The couple stopped by snack bars and barbecue restaurants run by Koreans to encourage the owners. Customers who were eating stood up, exchanged high-fives with the presidential couple, and took commemorative photos.
The presidential couple also greeted locals, asking, "Is Korean food delicious?"
They also visited a shop with a sign reading "Yakguk" in Korean. As they looked at the Korean cosmetics on display, they asked about the popularity of local K-beauty, and a pharmacy official said the number of consumers looking for Korean cosmetics has been steadily increasing.
Throughout the street, residents greeted them with, "Welcome to Chile," while descendants of Korean immigrants asked for photos, saying, "My grandfather is Korean." The presidential couple shook hands and posed for pictures.
With the addition of Korea Street this time, following the nearby Seoul Street created in 2022, the area has become a space that reflects friendship and exchange between Korea and Chile. The Chile Korean Association plans to develop a Korean-themed street linking the two streets.
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