A "Korean Traditional Culture Experience Program" will be held for spouses of G20 leaders. The program will give accompanying spouses a chance to experience Korean clothes, food and housing during the G20 Summit. It has been especially prepared by Korea''s first lady, Kim Yoon-ok, and she will host most of the program.

After the official welcoming reception at the National Museum of Korea on November 11, the invited spouses will move to the Leeum Art Gallery for a private viewing and dinner with the first lady while G20 leaders are at the official dinner. The gallery was selected as it is not far from the museum and has warm, comfortable, and dignified atmosphere.

On the morning of Nov. 12, the party will visit Changdeok Palace, first taking a tour that includes the famed back garden, and then enjoying a fashion show of traditional Korean clothing, Hanbok.  Designers Kim Young-seok and Lee Young-hee will direct the show, and Lee remarked that, “This is the first time I’ve directed a Hanbok show for the spouses of world leaders.  I hope they can get a sense Korean culture through its clothing.”

The G20 Presidential Committee has made special preparations to ensure that the palace grounds are warm and welcoming by installing heated benches, cushions, fan heaters, and rugs to keep the attendees warm. They will also be served traditional fried honey pastries, called yugwa.

For lunch, participants will visit the Korean Furniture Museum. The private museum consists of ten Hanok, or traditional houses, and a collection of more than 2,000 pieces of antique furniture. First Lady Kim selected the museum in hopes that seeing traditional Korean housing and furniture will help the attendees better understand Korean life and culture.

First Lady Kim will give her guests copies of her Korean cookbooks as presents. She was personally responsible for choosing the lunch and dinner menus, and is well known as one of the most passionate advocates for globalizing Korean food.

Seventeen of the invited guests have confirmed their attendance, including Chinese President Hu Jintao''s wife, Liu Yongqing, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev''s wife, Svetlana Medvedeva. However, Michelle Obama of the United States and French first lady Carla Bruni are unlikely to attend.