WHITE HOUSE HOSPITALITY: Prematurely of what will likely be the Biden administration’s second state dinner on the White House, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed their guests of honor — President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and his wife Kim Keon Hee — Wednesday morning on the South Lawn.

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff were readily available for the photo-op that comes on the heels of Biden’s announcement of a reelection run. The powers-that-be were all smiles and with good reason as two presidents are signing the “Washington Declaration,” an agreement to cooperate in regards to the potential use of nuclear arms, in addition to military training and knowledge sharing in relation to North Korea. The six-day visit and Wednesday’s red-carpet treatment within the Beltway is designed to rejoice the 70-year alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. While presidents Biden and Yoon will likely be discussing geopolitics, climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, FLOTUS and her South Korean counterpart checked out a few of the Rothko paintings within the National Portrait Gallery.

Art is an area of great interest to Kim, who in 2009 began the corporate Covana Contents to concentrate on art exhibits. For Wednesday’s official welcome, the primary lady donned a purple flap-collared dress and Kim paired a fitted white jacket with a black skirt and black gloves.

While visiting the Korean War Memorial Tuesday with their respective husbands, FLOTUS wore a pale ice-blue dress and matching coat from Gabriela Hearst, and Kim selected a navy pantsuit with a slate gray buttoned-up shirt. Hearst has dressed Biden for key public appearances, including for the 2020 inaugural ball. The style decisions of South Korea’s first lady have been polarizing now and again, as have those of generations of her international counterparts. The 50-year-old also has a web-based fan club for her style.

Wednesday afternoon, the primary lady will speak at this 12 months’s International Summit of the Teaching Occupation, a corporation with representatives from 22-plus countries. Moving to the White House didn’t change Biden’s status as an English and writing teacher at Northern Virginia Community College. That job credential is one which she highlighted in delivering her 2020 Democratic National Convention speech. FLOTUS did so from a classroom, wearing a Brandon Maxwell dress.

The primary couples will reconvene Wednesday evening for the state dinner. The décor will include painted figures of animals which can be indicative of each countries, dinner table accents in the colours of the South Korean flag — red, royal blue, white and black — and symbolic “Taegeuk” symbol. For the pre-dinner cocktail party, platinum-colored linens are supposed to be symbolic of the 70-year alliance.

Edward Lee, owner of Louisville’s 610 Magnolia restaurant and creator of “Smoke & Pickles” and “Buttermilk Graffiti,” has been tapped because the affair’s guest chef. Beneath boughs of cherry trees within the East Room, 200 guests will dine on crab cakes, yellow squash soup, braised beef short ribs and banana splits. They will likely be entertained by such performers because the actor Norm Lewis, “Miss Saigon” Tony award winner Lea Salonga, “Wicked” actress Jessica Vosk and “Spring Awakening” director Michael Arden.

While previewing the dinner plans Monday, FLOTUS noted how she and the president had been “welcomed with open arms,” once they visited the Republic of Korea prior to now. “It’s my intention to bring as much warmth and joy to President Yoon and Mrs. Kim Wednesday evening. We hope to honor each the people of their home nation and the generations of Americans who share their roots,” she said.