First lady Kim Hea Kyung views a piece of artwork by a center artist during her visit to the National accessArts Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung views a piece of artwork by a center artist during her visit to the National accessArts Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung's wife, Kim Hea Kyung, on Tuesday visited the National accessArts Centre in Calgary, Alberta, on the second day of her trip to Canada, where the Group of Seven summit is underway.

The presidential couple began their official schedule on Monday, when they attended a G7 welcome reception hosted by Canada’s governor general, marking their first appearance on the global stage since Lee was inaugurated just under two weeks ago.

President Lee Jae Myung (second from left) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung (right) pose with Governor General of Canada Mary Simon (second from right) and her spouse Whit Fraser during a reception for world leaders participating in the G7 summit in Calgary, Canada, on Monday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (second from left) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung (right) pose with Governor General of Canada Mary Simon (second from right) and her spouse Whit Fraser during a reception for world leaders participating in the G7 summit in Calgary, Canada, on Monday. (Yonhap)

On the second day in Canada, Kim visited the disability-focused arts center and spoke with several artists with disabilities about their work and future aspirations. One artist presented her with a keychain decorated with a traditional Indigenous doll from Alberta as a gift. She was also seen petting a retired guide dog named Bella.

"Canada provides a safe and accessible environment for people with disabilities to go out conveniently, safely and freely. I was particularly impressed by how inclusive and supportive the local communities are," she said.

First lady Kim Hye-kyung (center) poses with artists with disabilities and Bella, a retired guide dog, during her visit to the National accessArts Centre in Calgary, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Hye-kyung (center) poses with artists with disabilities and Bella, a retired guide dog, during her visit to the National accessArts Centre in Calgary, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung (left) is greeted by overseas Koreans at Calgary Korean Association in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung (left) is greeted by overseas Koreans at Calgary Korean Association in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

The National accessArts Centre, led by Korean director Ryu Jung-suk, is a leading national institution dedicated to fostering the artistic development of artists with disabilities.

Earlier in the day, Kim visited the Korean Community Center in Calgary to meet with overseas Koreans.

“Even though you live far away from South Korea, I feel that you care about our country more sincerely than we do,” she told the attendees, including Kang Young-gu, president of the Korean Society of BC, and Choi Jin-young, president of the Calgary Korean Association.


cjh@heraldcorp.com