Former U.S. President Barack Obama References SHINee in Speech, SHINee Member Responds
Between breaking Billboard records, first-time U.S. awards show wins and KCON conventions around the country, it's clear that the international K-pop takeover ain't slowing down anytime soon.
Now, even the former President of the United States is getting in on the action.
Barack Obama spoke to the audience at the 8th Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on Monday (July 3) about Korean culture, the alliance between the United States and South Korea and "the power of the free market, rule of democracy [and] Korean creativity," among other topics.
During the speech, which began with a "good morning" by the former President in Korean, Obama name-dropped one act in particular as an example of friendly U.S.-South Korea relations: "Famous movies are being filmed in Korea. Young people in the U.S. learn Korean so they can understand SHINee. Likewise, I heard SHINee likes USA's In-N-Out hamburgers," he said. (Transcription via AllKPop.)
The call-out went viral across Korean media outlets immediately, to the point where SHINee heard about the former President's praise. And very quickly, member Key (Kim Ki-bum) responded to Obama with an Instagram post.
"Thanks for mentioning us, Mr. Obama. SHINee will do our best for the growth of global 'pop culture'. and YES! We do love 'IN-N-OUT' :)" he wrote.
There's only one way this could go: we're ready for the Obama-SHINee collaboration — starting with a meeting over some In-N-Out burgers.
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