President Maithripala Sirisena received an unexpected warm welcome from Korean President Moon Jae-In yesterday (28/11), a day ahead of the scheduled official meeting. President Sirisena, who arrived in Seoul this morning visited the famous Buddhist place of worship, Jogyesa Temple and was surprised to find President Moon waiting to receive him together with the Most Venerable Seol Jeong, head of the Jogye Order, the most prominent Buddhist sect in Korea.
President Moon said, although he was not scheduled to visit the temple yesterday, he decided to come unannounced as he wanted to show his respect for President Sirisena. “We have so many things in common and I wanted to meet him and develop friendship and rapport before I meet him officially,” President Moon said.
President Sirisena said that although he had visited many countries as President, he could not meet a single leader before the official scheduled meetings. “This magnanimous gesture of humbleness shows the greatness of President Moon and his affection for Sri Lanka and its people,” he said.
