New orchid hybrid in Singapore named after Yoon, his wife

South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee (from left), President Yoon Suk Yeol, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Wong's wife Loo Tze Lui pose for a photo as they attended the orchid naming ceremony at Singapore Botanic Gardens Tuesday. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

SINGAPORE -- A new orchid hybrid in Singapore was named after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee while Yoon was on a state visit to the Southeast Asian country, according to the presidential office on Wednesday.

The orchid was named "Dendrobium Yoon Suk Yeol Kim Keon Hee" on the occasion of their visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Tuesday. Dendrobium refers to one of the genera of the Orchidaceae family, according to Yoon's office.

According to Singapore's explanation, the orchid hybrid produces semi-arching inflorescences that measure up to 50 centimeters in length, and each stem carries up to 18 well-arranged flowers, measuring about 5 centimeters in width, that bloom year-round. The petals and sepals are shaded in rose pink and adorned with deeper candy-pink stripes and subtle white accents along the edges of the sepals.

Yoon became the second South Korean leader to have attended the orchid naming ceremony and have a new hybrid given his name following his predecessor Moon Jae-in in 2018. Back then, the new orchid was named "Papilionanda Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-sook," a hybrid of two genera -- Papilionanthe and Vanda -- named after Moon and his wife.

Singapore has honored visiting heads of state or distinguished guests since 1956 through the so-called "Orchid Diplomacy." Among the awardees were US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)