U.S. President Barack Obama will be given an honorary taekwondo belt to mark his first visit to Korea on Wednesday and Thursday. A government official said that President Lee Myung-bak will present Obama with an honorary taekwondo degree certificate and a uniform embroidered with his name.
| Oh boy! A Nobel peace prize AND a black belt! |
Obama practiced taekwondo for about four years with an American master in Chicago from 2001 while he was serving in the Illinois state senate. He obtained a green belt.
| If the belt is wide enough Michelle will want it ... |
| For perspective, it takes normal people three years to earn a black belt. The mentally and physically handicapped generally take longer, and we know the president is not physically handicapped -- you've seen the man shoot hoops! |
Meanwhile, the government has yet to choose whether to serve the traditional Korean rice wine makgeolli or a Californian wine during the welcome luncheon on Thursday. Some government officials say that makgeolli does not seem like a good idea since it has been served on several occasions such as the recent Korea-Japan summit and meetings with foreign diplomats stationed in Korea.
| Some government officials are idiots. One always serves one's country's best, at such affairs. Do the Chinese serve foreign wines at their multi-course feasts? |
The government is considering a Californian wine as the leaders will discuss the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, and the California wine industry stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the deal.
| I recommend the shimmering pink muscatel ... |
|