President Lee Jae Myung (center) and first lady Kim Hye-kyung (second from left) attend an orchid-naming ceremony with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (second from right) and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam (left) at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
President Lee Jae Myung (center) and first lady Kim Hye-kyung (second from left) attend an orchid-naming ceremony with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (second from right) and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam (left) at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented a new hybrid orchid species named in honor of the visiting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hae Kyung during a ceremony held at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

It is a longstanding Singaporean diplomatic tradition to name newly bred orchid varieties after distinguished guests.

According to officials at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the flower, officially registered as “Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hae Kyung,” features patterns reminiscent of elements of the Korean national flag.

The South Korean leader is in Singapore on a state visit, part of a two-nation trip that also includes the Philippines.

President Lee Jae Myung (center) reviews an honor guard with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during an official welcome ceremony for his state visit at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (center) reviews an honor guard with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during an official welcome ceremony for his state visit at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. (Yonhap)

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