San Francisco Frontiers - Crowns, beauty, fried chicken: Korean culture meets diplomacy at APEC

But beyond the staid statecraft, the summit and sideline events featured plenty of nods to the host country's vibrant pop culture and history.

AFP takes a look:

- Trump's golden crown -

US President Donald Trump may be facing "No Kings" protests back home, but in South Korea, officials had the perfect gift for the gold-loving magnate -- a replica of an ancient royal crown.

At a lavish ceremony in the historic capital of Gyeongju, Trump was presented with a replica of the "largest and most extravagant" gold crown from the Silla dynasty, which ruled from 57 BC to 935 AD.

Catering to the US leader's fondness for the precious metal, President Lee Jae Myung wore a gold tie and Trump was also served a gold-themed dessert.

Meanwhile, across the United States, protesters have decried Trump's "king-like" presidency. After news of the gift broke, memes mocking a crowned Trump flooded social media.

- K-beauty haul -

Karoline Leavitt, the often-combative White House press secretary, drew social media attention after posting her K-beauty haul on Instagram while accompanying Trump in Gyeongju.

"South Korea skincare finds," the 28-year-old captioned an Instagram story -- complete with a heart-eyes emoji -- showcasing a cleansing oil, face masks, "zero pore" pads, moisturiser and other K-beauty staples.

South Korea, well known for its beauty products and advanced skincare and dermatological treatments, has been working to strengthen its foothold in the global market.

This year's APEC summit even featured a "K-Beauty Pavilion," where foreign visitors and delegates could sample the latest Korean skincare trends.

- Chicken and beer -

Jensen Huang, the CEO of US tech giant Nvidia, came to announce plans to supply 260,000 of the firm's most advanced chips to South Korea. But he also made headlines for indulging in one of the nation's favorite pairings -- fried chicken and beer, known as "chimaek".

Huang's dinner with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun in Seoul drew crowds of spectators and reporters and went viral.

Nvidia reportedly chose the restaurant, Kkanbu -- meaning "friend" and popularised by the megahit series "Squid Game" -- to symbolise cooperation on artificial intelligence and chipmaking.

Fried chicken, a staple of South Korean cuisine, is eaten everywhere from family gatherings to "mukbang" livestreams, often paired with cold beer during baseball games.

Huang even admitted he had indulged in another, more potent, Korean concoction -- "somaek", in which a shot of popular spirit soju is dropped into a glass of beer -- and that it had left him a little bleary-eyed the next day.

- K-pop, rice brew, 'gat' -

The highlight of Friday's APEC grand welcome dinner -- attended by leaders including China's Xi Jinping -- was a performance by K-pop megastar G-Dragon.

The 37-year-old star appeared onstage wearing a traditional Korean hat known as a "gat", featured in Netflix's animated megahit "KPop Demon Hunters".

The hat, now rarely seen in modern Korea, drew global attention after the hit animated film featuring the Saja Boys -- demons who wear it as part of their disguise as a popular K-pop boyband -- became a sensation.

Xi and South Korean President Lee were also spotted drinking "makgeolli", a traditional Korean rice brew.

Seoul's presidential office said the drink was flavoured with yuzu, a citrus fruit.

A.Clark--SFF