On Friday, November 21, I had the pleasure of meeting with President Park Geun-hye for the third time.  The first time was in early 2013 when President Park was elected President and I was a member of the U.S. delegation delivering President Obama’s congratulatory letter to President Park with Kurt Campbell and Daniel Russel. 
This time, however, was the most exciting as I was presenting my credentials as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea.  I have been on the other side of the credentialing process in the U.S., standing next to President Obama and helping pass materials to newly-arrived ambassadors to the U.S. in the Oval Office of the White House.  I was definitely more nervous on this side of the table.
When we arrived, I was impressed by the Korean soldiers standing in line to greet me.  I am always grateful to those who serve.  Inside the Blue House, where we were waiting, there were amazing Korean folding screens and beautiful artwork around us. 

We practiced a few times in front of the press, and I hoped I wouldn’t make any mistakes.  Luckily, everything went smoothly.  The ceremony in the Blue House embodied the spirit and culture of Korea, and was both elegant and significant, combining the modern and the traditional.  I feel so fortunate to have had this experience.
As we walked out of the ceremony, President Park asked me in English: “Are you learning Korean?”  I replied in Korean, “지금 저는 한국어 학생입니다. (I am a student studying Korean.)”  I hope President Park thought highly of my efforts.

We then met on a whole host of issues, from our bilateral relationship to our military alliance.  Ours is a true partnership, focused on solving multi-faceted problems regionally and globally.  Of key concern to both countries are issues pertaining to:  health, security, the economy, and people-to-people ties.  It is noteworthy that we are taking on very complicated, difficult challenges, such as the North Korean nuclear issue, and partnering on solving them in a cooperative manner.

I am most grateful to President Park for the substantive and rich dialogue that was also personally warm and for giving me so much of her valuable time.  I know that President Obama thinks extremely highly of President Park and that he enjoyed seeing her recently in Beijing.  Now that I am fully able to carry out my duties as Ambassador, I look forward to getting out in the community and building relationships with the Korean people.

로빈과 저는 서울에서의 맛 기행을 이어가고 있습니다. 제 아내 로빈은 미식가인 편이어서 항상 맛의 지평을 넓혀주기 위해 노력하는데요, 그래서 새로운 한국 음식을 먹어볼 수 있는 기회에 무척 기뻐했습니다.    

이번 주에는 두 명의 한국 인턴을 비롯한 대사관 직원 몇 명과 함께 근처 식당에서 돼지 불고기와 두부찌개를 먹었습니다. 이번에도 역시 맛있었고 즐거웠습니다. 물론 불고기도 맛있었지만, 직접 만든 수제 두부가 정말 일품이었습니다. 저는 특히 맛과 질감이 서로 다른 재료가 한데 어우러져서 이렇게 풍부한 맛을 내는 음식을 무척 좋아합니다. 무엇보다 비지에 매운 양념장을 곁들어먹는 게 아주 좋았습니다. 처음 먹어보는 것이었는데요, 아무것도 버리는 거 없이 두부를 만드는 과정에서 생기는 비지조차 이렇게 맛있게 먹을 수 있다니 정말 놀라웠습니다. 게다가 여러가지 반찬, 함께 나오는 채소까지 포함한 건강한 점심 한끼 가격이 너무 합리적이라 또 한번 놀랐습니다. 


함께 이야기를 나눈 두 인턴들은 매우 흥미로운 배경을 가지고 있었습니다. 여행도 많이 하고 외국에서 살고 공부했던 경험도 가지고 있더군요. 이들처럼 대사관에는 팀의 중요한 일원으로서 한미 관계 강화를 위해 열심히 일하는 뛰어난 능력을 갖춘 한국 직원들이 많습니다. 영어 실력도 출중하고 똑똑한 많은 학생들 가운데서도 가장 뛰어나고 글로벌한 시각을 가진 친구들이 대사관 인턴으로 일하고 있습니다. 한미 간 굳건한 파트너십에 기여하는 이런 분들 없이는 우리는 결코 좋은 성과를 낼 수 없을 것입니다.     

이렇게 건강하고 매콤한 (저는 매운 음식을 좋아한답니다.) 한국 음식을 맛있게 먹었네요. 제가 먹어본 음식을 여러분께 소개합니다!

Robyn and I continue our culinary adventures in Seoul.  My wife Robyn is a bit of a culinary expert in our house and is always trying to expand our palates.  So she was delighted at the opportunity to try out some new Korean dishes.

This week we had the opportunity of tasting pork bulgogi and tofu jjigae at a restaurant near the Embassy with a few staff members including two Korean interns.  As always, the food was delicious and it was fun to eat.  Of course, the meat was tasty, but the homemade tofu was even better, and I am a fan of the way the different flavors and textures are successfully interwoven in such a flavorful way.  I particularly liked adding the spicy sauce to the biji (bean-curd dregs).  I had never had that before.  I am impressed that nothing is wasted and even this side product from making the tofu is excellent.  I was impressed that this healthy lunch, including many banchan (side dishes) and side salads, was so reasonably priced also. 


The two interns we chatted with had very interesting backgrounds and were well travelled, having lived and studied abroad.   They are indicative of the well qualified and talented Korean citizens we have working at the Embassy who represent an important part of our team and help to strengthen the bilateral ties between our two countries.  Our intern program definitely attracts some of the best and brightest globally minded youth from the large pool of English speaking, intelligent students in Seoul.  We could not be successful here without all of these individuals contributing to our strong partnership. 

So here we are trying out healthy and spicy (which I love) Korean food.  Bon appétit everyone!

안녕하세요 여러분.  제 아내 로빈과 저, 그리고 그릭스비는 한국의 다양한 매력을 탐구하느라 여전히 바쁜 나날을 보내고 있습니다.  특히 그릭스비는 바깥 나들이만 했다 하면 너무 많은 관심을 받다보니 늘상 밖에 나가고 싶어하네요. 저는 지난 금요일 2014 서울 김장 문화제에  참여했습니다. 박원순 시장님과의  맛있는 점심식사 후, 운좋게도 김치 명인 김순자 선생님으로부터 여러가지를 배울 수 있었습니다. 전통 한복을 입고 저의 바로 옆에 앉으셔서 김치의 역사를 비롯해 제대로 김치 담그는 법까지 알려주셨습니다. 명인 김순자 선생님은 뛰어난 솜씨도 놀라웠지만 동시에 탁월한 비즈니스적 안목도 갖고 계셔서 인상 깊었습니다. 정말 많은 것을 배운 시간이었습니다.  

제가 매운 음식을  정말 좋아하다 보니 김치 담그면서 먹어보고 싶은 것을 참느라 혼났습니다!  이번 행사에는 열정있는 많은 사람들이 참여해 재미있는 시간을 함께 했습니다.  새 친구도 사귀었는데 이 중에는 탤런트 김호진씨와 김지영씨도 있답니다.

금요일 저녁이 되자 김장 복장을 벗고 해병대 무도회인 ‘Marine Ball’ 참석을 위해 턱시도로 갈아 입었습니다.  미국은 매년 11월 무도회와 케익 커팅식을 열어 해병대의 탄생을 축하합니다.  제가 해군 장교로 근무할 당시 해병대와 긴밀하게 일해본 적이 있어서 해병대에 대해 깊은 존경심을 갖고 있습니다.  대사가 된 지금도 전 세계 외교관들이 충실히 자신의 임무를 수행할 수 있는 것이 이들을 보호해주는 해병대 덕분이라는 것을 잘 알고 있습니다.  해병대 경비대원들은 전 세계 137개 국의 대사관과 영사관에서 근무를 서고 있으며, 이 중에는 주변 치안 상태가 그다지 좋지 못한 곳들도 있습니다.  한국에서는 또 미국 해병대와 한국 해병대 형제들 간에 놀라운 협력 관계가 이어져왔습니다. 이 관계는 오랜 기간동안 성장하고 발전해서 우리 양국의 관계를 더욱 튼튼히 해주었습니다.  그런데 이 날의 또다른 특별한 보너스는 아내 로빈과 행복한 저녁 시간을 보낼 수 있었다는 것이지요.

한국 부임이 좋은 이유 중의 하나가 음식 때문이라는 것은 올 때부터 이미 알고 있었습니다. 서울에 오기 전부터 이미 한국 음식을 여러번 먹어보았고, 가장 최근에는 한국어 수업도 할 겸 워싱턴 DC 외곽에 위치한 버지니아 애넌데일에서 한국 음식을 즐겼습니다. 가능한 한 많은 한국 음식을 다양하게 먹어보겠다고 스스로 다짐을 했는데, 이는 동시에 제가 운동을 꾸준히 해줘야한다는 얘기죠. 그래야 살이 너무 많이 찌지 않을테니까요. (다행히 얼마 전 근처 헬스 클럽에 등록을 해서 일요일 오후에 열심히 근력 운동을 했답니다!)  서울에 와보니 퓨젼 한식이 많아서 흥미롭습니다. 한식이 이제 지역과 세계의 다른 음식들에게도 영향을 주고 있습니다. 전통 음식들이 여전히 제자리를 지키고 있으면서, 동시에 창의력이 돋보이는 새로운 음식들이 외부의 영향을 받아 속속 탄생하면서 맛있는 음식이 더욱 많아지고 있습니다.

어제는 로빈과 서울 빛초롱 축제에 갔었습니다. 한지로 만들어진 창덕궁 인정전과 한국 전통 악기들, 그리고 이순신 장군의 거북선이 청계천에서 은은하게 빛나고 있습니다. 혹시 여기 가실 분들은 저희 대사관이 준비한 자유의 여신상도 꼭 관심있게 봐주세요!

지난번 블로그에 댓글을 많이 달아주셔서 정말 기뻤습니다. 곧 답글을 달도록 노력하겠습니다.  스케줄이 되는 대로 한국어를 열심히 공부하고 있는데, 여러분이 써주신 글을 읽어보는 것이 저한테는 좋은 연습이 되고 있습니다. 여러분의  제안도 정말 감사합니다.  저와 로빈, 그릭스비 모두가 여러분과 앞으로 더 많이 소통하고 이야기 나눌 수 있기를 기대하고 있습니다.

Hello everyone.  Robyn, Grigsby and I continue to be busy exploring all Korea has to offer.  Grigsby, in particular, gets so much attention when he’s out in Seoul that he wants to go out for walks all the time.  As for me, I attended the 2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival on Friday.  After a nice luncheon with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, I was fortunate enough to learn from kimchi master Kim Soon-ja.  She was seated next to me in traditional clothing and told me the history of kimchi and the proper way to make it.  I was incredibly impressed not only by Master Kim Soon-ja’s culinary skills, but also her business acumen.  I learned a great deal from Master Kim.    
Since I love spicy food, it was all I could do not to eat the kimchi while we were preparing it!  In general, there were many enthusiastic people having a fun time there. I made some new friends, including actor Kim Ho-jin and actress Kim Ji-young.

Friday evening, I changed out of my kimchi making clothes and into a tux for the Marine Ball.  The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every November, with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony.  I have great respect for the Marine Corps, having served closely with them when I was an officer in the U.S. Navy.  As Ambassador, I know that diplomats worldwide would be unable to perform their duties without the Marines who protect them.  Marine security guards are currently posted at embassies and consulates in 137 countries – many in the roughest neighborhoods in the world.  Here in Korea, there has been amazing collaboration between the U.S. Marines and their ROK Marine brothers.  This has grown and developed over the years and further deepened the connection between our two countries.  Naturally, the other nice part of the evening was enjoying an elegant night with my wife, Robyn.

I knew when coming here that one of the best parts of the job was going to be the food, as I had eaten Korean food many times before coming to Seoul – most recently in Annandale, Virginia (right outside of Washington D.C.) as part of Korean language studies.  I have made a commitment to try as many different Korean foods as I can.  This means that I also need to keep working out so that I don’t end up gaining too much extra weight.   (The good news is that I joined a local gym here and had an excellent workout on Sunday afternoon – lifting weights!)  It is so interesting to me in Seoul, the fusion that goes on with Korean food.  Korean food is influencing other foods regionally and globally.  At the same time, although the traditional foods remain in place, new creative dishes are being created with outside influences here also, making for delicious results.

Finally, yesterday Robyn and I had a chance to visit the Seoul Lantern Festival.  It was amazing to see Changdeok Palace’s Injeongjeon Hall, Korean traditional musical instruments, and Admiral Yi’s turtle ship rendered in Korean traditional paper and lit up on the Cheonggyecheon.  If you stop by the festival, please check out our Embassy’s Statue of Liberty lantern!

I was delighted that many of you made comments on my previous blog, and I look forward to responding soon.  I’m studying Korean as much as my schedule allows and reading your posts is good practice for me.  Thank you for your suggestions.  Robyn, Grigsby and I look forward to more interaction and insights from you. 

Hello, everyone.  Welcome to my new blog.  I would like to start off by saying that I am truly honored and grateful to be here as the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, and I thank all of you for giving me a warm welcome.   I look forward to interacting with you via my blog.

Let me start by telling you about my first great week in Seoul.  I had excellent consultation with Korean officials including Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Defense Minister Han Min-koo, and National Security Advisor Kim Kwan-jin, many of whom I already knew from my previous work in Washington.  I also had a chance to see some good friends from The Asia Foundation at their 60th Anniversary celebration. 

In addition to work, Robyn, Grigsby and I made the most of the fall weather walking around the city.  We also tried a lot of Korean food.  We love Korean BBQ and have already had it a number of times.  Despite our diligence, we were told by some good Samaritans sitting next to us that we were at risk of burning the meat.  We appreciated that the locals were so friendly in giving us tips for successful cooking.  Thanks to their good advice, the BBQ turned out great (although a little well done!) and I hope I become better at it the next time! 



Our Basset Hound Grigsby has met many people since he’s been here, and seems to have settled into his new home.  Please say hello to us if you run into us walking around Seoul.


We were lucky enough to attend a Korean baseball game this past weekend.  It was the 2014 Korean Series between the Samsung Lions and the Nexen Heroes.  I was impressed with the quality of play, the fast paced action and the high level of the players.  The crowd was terrific, energetic and supportive.  We noticed that no one left until the end of the game.  My baseball cuisine was also delicious - Korean-style “Chimac” (chicken & beer) with sweet and spicy chicken “Dakgangjeong” and Korean draft beer.

Before leaving the States, Robyn and I had my name and the American flag printed on some baseballs that were made in the U.S.  I gave one to our gracious KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) host and some other folks we met that night.

Again, we are just thrilled to be in Korea. If you have suggestions for other Korean food to try or interesting places to go, please let me know.  I’m looking forward to eating delicious food, watching more great sports games, and learning all about Korean culture.