South Korea's President Yoon praised himself for singing 'very well' after launching into a rendition of 'American Pie' at the White House
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol launched into a rendition of "American Pie" at the White House.
- President Biden asked Yoon to sing at the state dinner, saying it was one of Yoon's favorite songs.
- Yoon later told members of his party that he thought he sang the song "very well."
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol burst into song at a White House state dinner last week — and he thinks his performance went "very well."
The Asian leader was on a six-day state visit to the US, per The Korea Herald, and attended a dinner hosted by President Joe Biden on April 27. There, Biden invited him onto the stage and requested for a rendition of Don McLean's "American Pie," saying he knew it was one of his favorites, per a video by the Associated Press.
"When President Biden asked me to come up to the stage, I thought I would be given a guitar, but I was pretty taken aback when he asked me to sing," Yoon said at a dinner meeting with his People Power Party on Tuesday, The Korea Herald reported.
"As shown in pictures, I thought I sang very well, as singers from 'Miss Saigon' showed a surprising expression seeing me singing," Yoon said on Tuesday at a private dinner with his party, per The Korea Herald.
Yoon hesitated for a second, saying "It's been a while." Then he took the microphone from Biden, drawing loud applause and cheers from the audience.
He launched confidently into the first few lines of the song, with Biden cheering on him from behind.
Just before the president got up on stage, three Broadway singers, including Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk, performed "American Pie" as well.
Biden later presented Yoon with a guitar signed by Don McLean, then cracked a joke.
"At the next state dinner we're going to have, you're looking at the entertainment," Biden said, pointing to Yoon while the audience laughed.
Yoon's visit to the US, in which he held a summit with Biden to strengthen security and economic ties between the two countries, ended on Sunday, per The Korea Herald.
Representatives of Biden and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the US did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.