South Korea will welcome U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday with a replica gold crown and award him with the "Grand Order of Mugunghwa", the country's highest decoration, the presidential office said.
Trump landed in South Korea on the final leg of a trip through Asia that also saw stops in Malaysia and Japan, with high-profile trade talks expected with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
U.S. and South Korean warplanes escorted Air Force One on approach, and on the tarmac a South Korean military band greeted Trump with a rendition of "YMCA" and guns fired a salute.
Lee is hoping to win concessions from Trump in drawn out negotiations aimed at lowering U.S. tariffs on South Korea, and has wooed the U.S. president by praising his outreach to North Korea.
Lee's office said that in recognition of Trump's role as a "peacemaker" on the Korean peninsula, he will be awarded the "Grand Order of Mugunghwa", which is named after South Korea's national flower, a pink hibiscus also known as the Rose of Sharon in English.
During his first term, Trump held a series of summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the talks broke down as Pyongyang surged ahead with developing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
On Wednesday, Trump repeated his invitation to meet Kim again, but so far North Korea has not commented on his latest overtures.
Lee and Trump will tour a museum in the city of Gyeongju, a quiet tourist town filled with historic tombs and palaces from its time as the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom, which ruled about a third of the Korean peninsula until the 9th century.
Trump will be gifted a replica of the golden Cheonmachong crown. The delicate original, which was found in a tomb in Gyeongju, features towering gold prongs and dangling leaf shapes.
"This symbolizes the history of Silla, which maintained a long-term era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, and a new era of peaceful coexistence and common growth on the Korean Peninsula that the United States and South Korea will work together for."
The leaders will then having a working lunch that will include Thousand Island salad dressing, in what Lee's office said was a nod to Trump's "success story in his hometown of New York." Also on the menu are unspecified local specialties "according to President Trump's preferences."
The day will wrap up with a dinner with the leaders of Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore.
Three diplomatic sources said some of those leaders changed their schedules to accommodate Trump, who arrived and will leave before the scheduled Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leader's summit on Friday and Saturday.
Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, says it struck a Russian Kilo‑class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, causing critica...
Washington’s seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil shows a shift from financial sanctions to direct maritime action, further straining relatio...
Anewz brings you the best videos of the day from around the world covering everything from uplifting events to updates in conflict zones....
At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rain in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi, Moroccan authorities ...
The European Union’s interest in investing in regional connectivity projects in the South Caucasus, such as the Trump Route for International Peace ...
Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, says it struck a Russian Kilo‑class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, causing critical damage.
Anewz brings you the best videos of the day from around the world covering everything from uplifting events to updates in conflict zones.
The European Union’s interest in investing in regional connectivity projects in the South Caucasus, such as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is driven by a need for strategic credibility and a tangible foreign policy success, according to a regional expert.
French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stage for tense negotiations between parliament’s two chambers later this week.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, says it struck a Russian Kilo‑class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, causing critical damage.
Washington’s seizure of a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil shows a shift from financial sanctions to direct maritime action, further straining relations with Caracas and increasing risks for global shipping.
Anewz brings you the best videos of the day from around the world covering everything from uplifting events to updates in conflict zones.
French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stage for tense negotiations between parliament’s two chambers later this week.
Flooding in Bolivia’s eastern Santa Cruz region has killed at least 20 people after an overflowing river swept through multiple communities, authorities said on Monday, with the toll expected to increase as rescue teams reach areas that were previously inaccessible.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment