Lee’s tailored gifts to India, Vietnam highlight cultural ties and promote K-culture

President Lee Jae-myung used what his office called “tailored gift diplomacy” during state visits to India and Vietnam, selecting items reflecting each leader’s cultural background, personal preferences and governing priorities. The presidential office said the gifts were intended to go beyond protocol, signaling cultural links and promoting Korean beauty and cultural industries.
 
The presidential office on April 24 (local time) disclosed the gifts Lee presented to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian President Droupadi Murmu, and Vietnamese Communist Party chief and President To Lam and his wife.
 
For Modi, Lee gave a bronze model of a pensive bodhisattva and an ink painting of a tiger. The office said the bodhisattva symbolizes cultural ties because Buddhist thought originated in India and later developed in Silla Korea, and it said Modi’s contemplative, philosophical reputation was considered.
 
The tiger painting was chosen for symbolism shared by Korea and India, the office said. In Korea, the tiger represents authority, protection and good fortune, and in Hindu tradition it is also seen as a sacred protector. The office also cited India’s tiger conservation policy under “Project Tiger,” launched in 1973.
 
Murmu received a Korean traditional meditation set and herbal skin care products. Citing her preference for meditation, the office said it selected a large cushion in the style of traditional patchwork cloth and hanji paper featuring a modern interpretation of dancheong patterns. The herbal skin care products were meant to showcase K-beauty, the office said, noting India’s growth potential as an emerging beauty market.
 
In Vietnam, Lee presented Lam with a folk painting combining a haetae and a pine tree, along with a custom-made music frame. The office said the haetae symbolizes judging right from wrong and driving out injustice, while the pine represents strength and steadfast integrity, reflecting Lam’s governing emphasis on anti-corruption and clean government.
 
The music frame is a speaker built into a picture frame featuring a caricature of Lam and his wife. It was specially made with Lam’s preference for classical music in mind, the office said.
 
For Ngo Phuong Ly, Lee gave a set of National Museum of Korea goods, Korean beauty devices and a mother-of-pearl box decorated with butterfly and arabesque motifs. The office said it reflected her strong interest in official museum goods when she visited the museum during a state visit to South Korea in August last year.
 
The mother-of-pearl box features butterflies symbolizing marital harmony and arabesque patterns symbolizing prosperity, the office said, adding it conveyed wishes for the couple’s health and happiness.
 
The presidential office said it took special care in selecting the gifts to express friendship and trust between leaders.
 
In a briefing at a hotel in Hanoi, presidential spokesperson Lee Kyu-yeon said, “On this trip as well, we expressed friendship and trust through thoughtful gifts for the leaders,” adding, “We prepared them with meaning, considering each leader’s disposition and governing priorities.”