Jill Biden and South Korea's Kim Keon-hee get a private tour of Rothko collection

First lady Jill Biden and the wife of the Korean president, Kim Keon-hee, received a private tour Wednesday of the National Gallery of Art's Rothko exhibits, complete with a visit with the late artist's son. 

The duo first toured the permanent collection of Rothkos, before ducking away from the press to see 'Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper,' which will open in the gallery's East Building in November. 

The jaunt was all part of this week's state dinner with South Korea, which will take place later Wednesday night and include celebrity guests including actress Angelina Jolie and performances by Broadway stars Norm Lewis, Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk. 

It comes one day after President Joe Biden announced his 2024 presidential run, of which Dr. Biden will play a major part. 

But on Wednesday, at a subsequent speech at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession, she made no mention of the reelection campaign, highlighting the president's record on education but not taking it forward. 

First lady Jill Biden (right) and the wife of the Korean president, Kim Keon-hee  (left), received a private tour Wednesday of the National Gallery of Art's Rothko exhibits, complete with a visit with the late artist's son

The two women toured the permanent gallery of 12 Rothkos (pictured) before ducking away from the press to see 'Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper,' which will open in the gallery's East Building in November

First lady Jill Biden (left) and South Korea's Kim Keon-hee (center) take in the atrium of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art alongside the museum's first female director, Kaywin Feldman (right) 

'Magnificent. Beautiful,' Dr. Biden said as she and Kim walked through the National Gallery's East Building's modernist atrium as the two women concluded their viewing

At the gallery during the private portion of the tour, Biden and Kim were joined by Christopher Rothko and his wife Lori Cohen. 

The Rothko exhibits were chosen because of Biden and Kim's shared love for the abstract painter - not because of any American-Korean connection. 

'Magnificent. Beautiful,' Dr. Biden told reporters as she and Kim walked through the National Gallery's East Building's modernist atrium as the two women concluded their viewing. 

It continues a tour of Washington, D.C. attractions that started Tuesday night when President Joe Biden and Dr. Biden took Kim and her husband, South Korean President on a twilight tour of the Korean War Veterans Memorial - located on the opposite side of the National Mall. 

Then Yoon and Kim met up with the Bidens for a somber wreath-laying ceremony in front of the haunting memorial, in which Taps was played. 

The couples also met with Judy Wade, the niece of Corporal Luther Story, who was given the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1951 for his valiant actions during the Korean War. 

During the battle of Yongsan in 1950, Story was credited with killing or wounding an estimated 100 enemy soldiers and kept members of his unit alive by throwing grenades at an enemy truck filled with soldiers and an ammunition trailer. 

As his company tried to withdraw, he was wounded and was last seen 'firing every weapon available' to hold off another attack, according to his Medal of Honor citation. 

Story was considered missing for 73 years until modern technology was able to identify his remains. 

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden (right) show the Korean War Memorial to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (center left) and his wife Kim Keon-hee (left)

Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Biden lay a wreath during a visit Tuesday evening to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington 

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden (right) walk through the Korean War Veterans Memorial with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (center left) and his wife Kim Keon-hee (left)

The two couples walk toward the Korean War Veterans Memorial, in which statues wearing ponchos walk over what's supposed to resemble the  rice paddies of Korea

Judy Wade (left), with her husband Joseph Wade (second from left), speak with the Bidens, Yoon and Kim about her uncle who received a Medal of Honor for his courage during a Korean war battle. His remains were recently identified after 73 years 

Tuesday night's trip to the Korean War Memorial marks Yoon's fifth meeting with Biden, as the U.S. president has made cultivating relationships in the Indo-Pacific a priority.

As a gift, the Bidens presented Yoon and Kim with a small table made by an American furniture maker from mahogany and historical White House wood, which was inspired by traditional Korean soban tables. 

A brass plaque marking the state visited will be included with the table, as will a vase filled with handmade paper hibiscus and rose flowers, crafted by a Korean-American artist. 

Additionally, President Biden gave Yoon a shadow box filled with custom and vintage baseball memorabilia. 

Dr. Biden gave Kim a pendant necklace with a trio of blue sapphires designed by a Korean-American designer.

Wednesday's dinner menu was created by celebrity chef Edward Lee, a Korean-American chef who's known for infusing Korean flavors with food from America's South. 

D.C. restaurant Succotash is Lee's and he also owns a Louisville, Kentucky restaurant, called 610 Magnolia.