Lee attends Mongolia's Naadam festival as guest of honor, tries traditional archery with first lady

President Lee Jae Myung attended Mongolia's biggest national holiday, the Naadam festival, as an official guest of honor on Saturday (local time) during his state visit to the country. Lee and first lady Kim Hye-kyung tried their hand at traditional Mongolian archery before wrapping up the two-night, three-day state visit with a farewell luncheon.

The presidential couple watched the Naadam opening ceremony, then visited the archery venue with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and his wife. It was the first time a South Korean head of state had been invited as an official guest of honor to the Naadam festival, a national event celebrating Mongolia's spirit of freedom and independence.

Dressed in a suit, Lee stepped up to the men's lane and took hold of a traditional Mongolian bow. He drew the string back at roughly a 45-degree angle toward the sky, and the arrow sailed past the target and lodged in the wall behind it. Spectators laughed and applauded, and President Khurelsukh joined in the clapping.

Lee then tried to draw a second bow, but when it proved too stiff to pull back easily, he smiled and set it down.

Kim also took part in the archery session. Dressed in a two-piece outfit, she received instructions on how to draw the bowstring, nocked an arrow, stepped forward toward the target and released the shot into the air.

Her arrow fell short of the target and landed in a puddle. Kim shook out her drawing hand several times as she returned to her spot, then smiled and mimed the drawing motion again. Lee and Khurelsukh both applauded.

The Naadam festival is Mongolia's premier national event, centered on wrestling, horse racing and archery. The couple's participation in the traditional archery experience was intended to highlight the shared bow culture and historical affinity between the two countries.

After the archery session, Lee and Kim attended a farewell luncheon hosted by President Khurelsukh, bringing the two-night, three-day state visit to Mongolia to a close before departing for home.