South Korea's Protestant First Lady Violates Vatican Protocol

She "was dressed in white, which is not in keeping with Vatican Protocol since it is allowed only for Catholic queens but not other women, who traditionally dress in black," we learn in this article about her husand's meeting with the Pontiff — Economic crisis and Korean situation at the centre of talks between Pope and President Lee. The article mentions that "white... is the colour of peace in Korea."

I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but one would think that in Confucian Korea, where Li ("'customs', 'etiquette', 'morals', and 'rules of proper behavior'") is all-important, someone from the diplomatic corps would have warned her. The visitor to Korea is often told by his hosts that "when in rome, do as the romans do" ("로마에 가면 로마법을 따라라"); it seems the Korean first lady, when in Rome, did as a Korean would do.