On the 22nd, in front of the iron gate of the British Embassy in Seoul's Jeongdong, people dressed in suits and dresses were lined up. They were VIPs invited to the birthday party of King Charles III. The British Embassy in Seoul holds a party at the end of May every year to celebrate the king's birthday.
In fact, King Charles III's actual birthday is Nov. 14, 1948. However, the official birthday event takes place about six months later. Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in 2022, was born on April 21, but her official birthday celebration was held on the second Saturday in June every year. Most other royals and Commonwealth monarchs also conduct birthday celebrations twice like this.
The reason British monarchs have two birthdays is closely related to the weather in the UK. King George II (1683–1760), who was born in the 17th century, had a birthday on Nov. 10. However, November in the UK is often cold and rainy, making it unsuitable for holding large outdoor birthday celebrations.
Eventually, George II held his official birthday celebration with a military parade in the summer when the weather was good. From this point on, British monarchs have maintained a separate official birthday apart from their actual birthday. King Charles III also conducts an official birthday event called 'Trooping the Colour' in the second week of June in the UK, but in Korea, the birthday celebration takes place before June to avoid the rainy season.
On this day, the British Embassy in Seoul, which is usually tightly closed, opened its garden, swimming pool, and tennis courts to all invited guests. The event saw former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Minister of Veterans Affairs Kang Jung-ae attend as representatives of Korea and stand with Ambassador Colin Crooks and his wife on the podium. Approximately 500 VIP guests attended the event at the British Embassy in Seoul.
Ambassador Colin, who has a history of working in both Korea and North Korea, delivered greetings in English and Korean at the reception. He said, "This year, in order to celebrate the close and beneficial friendship between the UK and Korea, we aim to showcase the best of Britain, including its culture, values, music, drinks, and food."
In fact, a variety of British dishes were prepared for the event. Ales from the UK that are not sold in stores, along with traditional British foods such as fish and chips, Scotch eggs, and Victoria sponge cake—famous for being enjoyed by Queen Victoria at tea time—were served buffet-style. One guest even asked, while serving food, "Is the Scotch egg originally from Scotland?"
Throughout the event, the British military band performed live, and singers such as So-hyang sang the national anthem and the British national anthem, "God Save the King." Hongjoong of the popular group ATEEZ, which has a large fandom in Europe, and Minjae of the group Psycus also attended to celebrate King Charles's birthday.
The event served not only as a celebration of the king's birthday but also carried the significance of pledging cooperation between the UK and Korea. Ambassador Colin noted, "Based on the 'Downing Agreement', the two countries have strengthened their relationship in various fields, including trade, investment, defense, security, climate, science and technology, and energy. We have already laid a solid foundation for cooperation with the next Korean government."