President Yoon Suk Yeol has revealed that he was taken aback when asked to sing "American Pie" at a state dinner at the White House last week but believes he delivered his rendition quite well.

During his six-day state visit to the United States last week, Yoon attended the dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden, and close to the end of it, Biden asked Yoon to sing the song, one of Yoon's favorites, originally by Don McLean.

"When President Biden asked me to come up to the stage, I thought I would be given a guitar, but I was pretty taken aback when he asked me to sing," Yoon said during a dinner meeting with the leadership of the ruling People Power Party held Tuesday.

When Yoon grabbed the microphone and delivered the first few lines, he received a standing ovation and loud applause from the audience. Biden then presented him with a guitar signed by Don McLean on behalf of the musician, who could not attend the dinner.

Just minutes before Yoon's surprise performance, three Broadway singers, including Lea Salonga and Jessica Vosk, gave music performances and sang a rendition of "American Pie."

"As shown in pictures, I thought I sang very well, as singers from 'Miss Saigon' showed a surprising expression seeing me singing," Yoon said.

Yoon returned home Sunday from a six-day visit to Washington and Boston, during which he held a summit with Biden and agreed on measures to strengthen the US nuclear commitment to South Korea. (Yonhap)