[APEC Summit] Mrs. Kim Gun-hee “Korea is characterized by strong mutual awareness”.

[iNews24, Reporter Choi Ki-chul] Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, stated, “Korea has a unique characteristic of being a competitive society where everyone is highly conscious of each other.”

Kim, who is visiting San Francisco with President Yoon Seok-yeol for the APEC summit, made this remark at the APEC spouse program on the 17th (local time), which was centered around the theme of ‘mental health’. She expressed her agreement with the comments made by Jill Biden during the roundtable discussion on the same topic.

Prior to Kim, Mrs. Biden said, “Modern technology has facilitated communication between people,” and “Now, we must also make efforts for mental health to combat feelings of isolation and anxiety.”

Kim continued, “Excessive competitiveness leads to a lot of emotional involvement, and as a result, we get more exhausted,” and expressed her hope that “these issues can be improved through various mental health programs.”

Lee Do-woon, the presidential spokesman, conveyed in a written briefing that “Participants agreed that mental health is a global issue that everyone needs to work together to solve, and that there needs to be a change in perception where we can openly discuss mental health, just like physical health.”

Rosé, a member of the Korean idol group BLACKPINK, also attended the event. Rosé said, “The journey to success as a singer was not easy, and there are still occasional difficulties, but I realized that valuing oneself is important,” and expressed her hope that “based on this, my music can inspire and comfort many people.”

Kim thanked Rosé for sharing her struggles and said, “The global influence of K-pop and Korean culture, including BLACKPINK, is tremendous,” and encouraged her by saying, “I look forward to being moved by your music and positive messages in the future.”

Following the roundtable discussion, the first ladies toured the Apple Experience Space, where they saw a demonstration of mental health-related technology of the ‘Apple Vision Pro’ and ‘Apple Watch’, which are set to launch next year, and took a stroll around Apple Park.

Kim said, “I am impressed by Apple’s architecture, which is geared towards being eco-friendly and carbon-neutral, and the meticulous creation of spaces that prioritize the mental health of employees,” and expressed her hope that more such spaces will be created in Korea.