First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska has begun a visit to the Republic of Korea to take part in the Asian Leadership Conference. On the first day of the visit, the First Lady met with President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol.
She thanked for supporting the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Its points became the basis of the resolution "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with the participation of the Republic of Korea on February 23, 2023. Olena Zelenska handed Yoon Suk Yeol a personal letter and an invitation from the President of Ukraine to visit our country to continue the dialogue between the two countries.
The meeting was also attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Rostyslav Shurma.
"Now we also need help with the technologies for which the country is famous. We discussed with the President the need for air defense systems to stop the missile terrorism of the aggressor country. We also need the means to clear the traps that Russia has left on our territory and medical equipment to save those who were wounded by the attackers," Olena Zelenska said.
The First Lady also met with the wife of the President of the Republic of Korea Kim Keon-hee who is engaged in cultural and social activities. Olena Zelenska informed about the situation with Russia's attacks on Ukraine's cultural heritage. Thus, at present, 1472 libraries, cultural centers, art schools and museums, more than 580 architectural monuments and 270 religious sites have been destroyed or damaged in our country, and more than ten museums have been robbed.
Olena Zelenska noted that the experience of the Republic of Korea in preserving cultural heritage would be useful to Ukraine.
"I took this opportunity to extend an invitation to the President's wife to the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. At the previous summit, despite the air alerts, my colleagues from all over the world and I discussed the restoration of the country, and at this one we will talk about the mental recovery of people. How to turn war trauma into growth - we hope to hear the experience of the Republic of Korea, which once successfully did this itself," the wife of the President of Ukraine said.
In addition, the First Lady met with representatives of Community Chest of Korea, the largest Korean charitable organization founded in 1998.
The President’s wife presented the activities of the Olena Zelenska Foundation to them.
"I created the foundation to help as many people in Ukraine as possible through my international connections. The greatest value for the foundation is a human being, and we believe that the future of the country begins with people. Every day the aggressor uses terror tactics against the civilian population of Ukraine, conducting targeted attacks on critical and civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. As a result, millions of Ukrainians are in need of treatment, rehabilitation and humanitarian aid; medical and educational infrastructure needs to be restored. The Foundation is focused on three important areas that will become the basis for a better future: humanitarian aid, education and medicine," the First Lady said.
According to her, the Olena Zelenska Foundation's priority projects are now the following:
- In the field of medicine, the reconstruction of the city hospital in Izyum, Kharkiv region.
- In the field of education, meeting the needs of Ukrainian schoolchildren for access to education by arranging shelters in schools and kindergartens, providing digital devices for teachers and students, and providing school buses.
- In the field of humanitarian aid, the construction of housing for family-type children’s homes that upbring orphans and children deprived of parental care; providing them with vehicles (minivans).
"We are always glad to have new international partners, because the reconstruction of the country is just beginning. And it starts with the most urgent needs of people," Olena Zelenska noted.
