Korean Dressing, Irish Poetry and ‘American Pie’: A State Dinner of Harmony

WASHINGTON — Presidents traditionally invite foreign leaders visiting the White House to give a statement in front of cameras, to make a toast at a dinner, maybe even to address reporter questions. They don’t usually ask them to sing.

But there was President Biden on the stage of the State Dining Room late Wednesday night, coaxing President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea to perform one of his guest’s favorite songs, Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Mr. Yoon did not look like he needed much convincing.

And so the leader of more than 50 million South Koreans began belting out one of the most iconic American songs of the modern age to the delight of a crowd of diplomats and celebrities cheering him on. Throughout a long day of public appearances up to that point, Mr. Yoon had not uttered a word of English, speaking carefully through a translator, but he knew every word as he crooned about driving his Chevy to the levee on the day the music died.

The rollicking finale to the second state dinner of the Biden era made for a more memorable evening than most at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The 80-year-old president, who had been questioned about his age just a few hours earlier, pumped his fists and whooped along with the crowd as Mr. Yoon performed.