The Korea Herald

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US senator unexpectedly meets Yoon in Lithuania, bursts into ‘American Pie’

By Shin Ji-hye

Published : July 11, 2023 - 09:03

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President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee takes a walk in the old town area of Vilnius on Monday evening. (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee takes a walk in the old town area of Vilnius on Monday evening. (Yonhap)

VILNIUS, Lithuania -- It seems Yoon's reputation for liking a sing-along precedes him. While in Vilnius, Lithuania for a NATO summit, the president unexpectedly bumped into US Sen. Pete Ricketts, who initiated an impromptu rendition of "American Pie."

Yoon’s spokesperson Lee Do-woon said Monday night in Vilnius that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee were taking a walk in the old town of Vilnius to adjust to the time difference and manage their conditions, when they met the senator.

Ricketts spotted Yoon and Kim while he was dining at a nearby restaurant, and approached him to express his thanks for Yoon's speech to Congress during his US state visit and express optimism for their meeting the nexxt day.

Ricketts and his companions broke into an impromptu rendition of "American Pie," a song that has become a trademark for Yoon when he sang at a banquet hosted by President Joe Biden during his state visit to the US in April.

The first item on Yoon's official schedule during his visit to Lithuania is a meeting with a delegation from US Senate, including Ricketts, on Tuesday morning. He will meet with six US senators to discuss security issues and South Korea-US relations.