President Lee Jae Myung delivers remarks during a dinner reception for the diplomatic corps at Nokjiwon Garden in Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. (Cheong Wa Dae via Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung hosted foreign ambassadors at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday evening over chimaek — the popular Korean pairing of fried chicken and beer — calling for closer cooperation to deepen ties with partner countries and address shared global challenges.The gathering brought together ambassadors and other representatives from all 118 resident diplomatic missions in South Korea — including Moroccan Ambassadorto Korea Chafik Rachadi, dean of the diplomatic corps — as well as representatives from 30 international organizations.The banquet at Nokjiwon Garden within the Cheong Wa Dae compound came after Lee's first trip to Europe, during which he met with leaders of Belgium, Italy and the European Union, as well as the pope at the Vatican, and attended the G7 summit in Evian, France, from June 9 to 18."South Korea has attended the G7 summit for two consecutive years and is establishing itself as a responsible partner in discussions on major issues facing the international community," Lee said in a toast before about 170 participants, including ambassadors and representatives of international organizations."Going forward, we will continue to work closely with the international community based on the shared values of humanity — freedom, peace and prosperity." President Lee Jae Myung delivers remarks during a dinner reception for the diplomatic corps at Nokjiwon Garden in Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. (Cheong Wa Dae via Yonhap) Lee credited the achievements of his administration to roughly 100 summit meetings with leaders from more than 50 countries over the past year."I believe our active summit diplomacy has been made possible by your dedicated efforts in serving as bridges between your home countries and the Republic of Korea," Lee said."I look forward to your continued close cooperation so that relations between the Republic of Korea and your countries may grow even stronger and that we may work together to address the shared challenges facing the international community."Lee said his government would make special efforts to ensure that foreign diplomats face no difficulties in carrying out their duties in South Korea, while inviting ambassadors and representatives of international organizations to share their views and suggestions with the presidential office."I believe many of you probably have a great deal you would like to tell the South Korean government," Lee said. "While you may regularly share your views through the Foreign Ministry, there may also be matters you would like to raise directly with the presidential office."Lee added that he had "more free time than you might think."Lee also proposed a multilingual toast."I will say 'geonbae' in Korean, and since you are here representing your respective countries, I invite each of you to make a toast in your own language," he said. President Lee Jae Myung greets Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, the Vatican's ambassador to South Korea, during a dinner reception for the diplomatic corps at Nokjiwon Garden in Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. (Cheong Wa Dae via Yonhap) The banquet marked the first reception for the diplomatic corps to be held at Nokjiwon Garden within Cheong Wa Dae since 2019 and the first dinner Lee has hosted for the diplomatic corps since formally returning to the presidential compound in December last year.Before returning to Cheong Wa Dae, Lee had also hosted a dinner for foreign diplomats at Yeongbingwan, the state guest house on the compound, in August last year.Lee was seated at the head table alongside Rachadi; James Heller, charge d'affaires ad interim at the US Embassy; Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Mizushima Koichi; European Union Ambassador to Korea Ugo Astuto; and Fang Kun, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy.Other guests at the head table included Archbishop Giovanni Gaspari, the Apostolic Nuncio to Korea; New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Dawn Bennet; Philippine Ambassador to Korea Bernadette Therese Fernandez; Mongolian Ambassador to Korea Sukhbold Sukhee; Chilean Ambassador to Korea Mathias Francke; and South African Ambassador to Korea Sindiswa Mququ.Cheong Wa Dae said the seating arrangement for the head table was determined with consideration for South Korea's key diplomatic engagements this year, as well as regional balance and representation.Cheong Wa Dae said the menu was built around a Korean-style charcoal barbecue and chimaek theme, reflecting the atmosphere of Nokjiwon Garden in June. The menu included Korean-style seasoned and fried chicken paired with fresh Cass draft beer, one of South Korea's most popular local beer brands.As the main course, the Korean-style barbecue menu featured a variety of seasonal ingredients selected with consideration for the guests' religious and dietary requirements.All ingredients, except for pork belly, were prepared in accordance with halal standards. Guests were also offered traditional Korean accompaniments, including fresh geotjeori, a type of unfermented kimchi, and ssambap, rice wrapped in leafy vegetables.