▲ President Lee Jae Myung (C) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, (2nd from L) attend a naming ceremony for an orchid hybrid named after them, hosted by Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2nd from R) and his wife (R) at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters on March 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ A porcelain plate featuring paintings of a tiger and a lion and a tableware set crafted using traditional Korean brassware President Lee Jae Myung's gift to Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is seen in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae on March 2, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A Western tableware set crafted using traditional Korean brassware techniques, President Lee Jae Myung's gift to Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's wife, Loo Tze Lui, is seen in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae on March 2, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A traditional painting of Mount Halla on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju (L), presented to Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam by President Lee Jae Myung during his state visit to Singapore on March 2, 2026, and a traditional Korean jewelry box for Tharman's wife are seen in this photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Lee-Singapore-orchid

(LEAD) New orchid hybrid in Singapore named after Lee, first lady

(ATTN: UPDATES with Lee's presents to Singaporean PM, president in last 4 paras; ADDS photos)

By Kim Eun-jung

SINGAPORE, March 2 (Yonhap) -- A new orchid hybrid in Singapore was named after President Lee Jae Myung and his wife, Kim Hea Kyung, on Monday to honor Lee's state visit to the Southeast Asian country, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The orchid was named "Vanda Lee Jae Myung Kim Hea Kyung" during a ceremony hosted by Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the ceremonial head of state, at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters.

"I am truly honored to have this beautiful, fragrant orchid named after me," Lee said during the ceremony, joined by the first lady.

It is a unique diplomatic and cultural tradition in which a new hybrid orchid is officially named after visiting heads of state to promote friendly relations with foreign nations.

According to an official from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the orchid hybrid features patterns reminiscent of elements of the Korean national flag and can serve as the foundation for developing further hybrids, symbolizing the continued development of relations between South Korea and Singapore.

The ceremony was held ahead of Lee's summit talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

On the occasion of his visit, Lee presented Prime Minister Wong with a porcelain plate featuring paintings of a tiger and a lion, representing South Korea and Singapore, respectively, along with a men's cosmetics set containing ginseng, Lee's office said.

To Wong's wife, Loo Tze Lui, Lee presented a Western tableware set crafted using traditional Korean brassware techniques, along with a silk scarf featuring a modern reinterpretation of traditional Korean patterns, it added.

Lee gifted a traditional painting of Mount Halla on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju to Tharman and gifted a traditional Korean jewelry box to Tharman's wife, Cheong Wa Dae said.

(END)

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