South Korean first lady plants sapling in Riyadh

RIYADH: First Lady of South Korea Kim Keon-hee planted a tree in Riyadh to commemorate the 61st anniversary of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Saudi Arabia.

Kim, who recently visited the Kingdom with her husband, President Yoon Suk-yeol, planted the sapling at the Scientific Park during an event organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

During the meeting on Monday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Yoon announced his continued support for the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and acknowledged the impressive advancements made under the crown prince’s leadership.

The South Korean president also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. Both sides expressed their admiration for the crucial role played by the Saudi-Korean Joint Vision 2030 Committee in achieving the goals outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030 reform plan.

The first lady was welcomed at the Scientific Park by the mayor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, and the executive director of Green Riyadh at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Abdulaziz Al-Muqbel.

Kim received a briefing on the Green Riyadh Project and its positive influence on enhancing the quality of life. She was also informed about the significant growth taking place in Riyadh and the various megaprojects underway in the city.

The South Korean side also expressed their support for the Kingdom’s launch of the Saudi and Middle East green initiatives.

Green Riyadh is one of the capital’s megaprojects initiated by King Salman with the goal of planting 7.5 million trees throughout the capital, elevating the per capita share of green space from 1.7 square meters to 28 square meters.

The project also contributes to the realization of one of the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030, which is to plant 10 billion trees across the Kingdom in the coming decades.

Yoon and his delegation departed from Riyadh on Tuesday.

He was seen off at King Khalid International Airport by officials, including Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the deputy governor of Riyadh, and the minister of investment, Khalid Al-Falih.