South Korea has bestowed its highest national honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, on US President Donald Trump during a lavish welcome ceremony in Gyeongju.
Trump arrived on Wednesday, the final leg of his Asia tour, which also included visits to Malaysia and Japan. He is expected to hold key trade talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
South Korea’s presidential office said the award, named after the country’s national flower, recognises Trump’s “role as a peacemaker on the Korean peninsula.” A replica gold crown inspired by the ancient Silla kingdom was also presented to him.
“I’d like to wear it right now,” Trump said when handed the glittering decoration. A South Korean official noted he was the first US president ever to receive the honour.
Trump’s arrival was marked by an elaborate ceremony as US and South Korean warplanes escorted Air Force One, while a military band played “YMCA” and a gun salute echoed across the tarmac.
President Lee, who wore a custom gold-coloured tie, said it “reflects President Trump’s taste for gold, captures the golden future of the South Korea-US alliance and the status of South Korea.”
During the visit, Trump and Lee shared a working lunch designed to suit Trump’s palate, featuring “mini beef patties with ketchup,” a “Korean Platter of Sincerity” made with US beef and local rice, and grilled fish glazed with ketchup and gochujang.
Lee’s office said the inclusion of Thousand Island dressing was “a nod to President Trump’s success story in his hometown of New York.” The meal ended with a “Peacemaker’s Dessert” — a brownie decorated with gold.
The two leaders later attended a dinner with counterparts from Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore, where guests were served Trump Chardonnay and Trump Cabernet Sauvignon from the winery run by his son, Eric Trump.
Trump reiterated his invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resume talks, though Pyongyang has yet to respond.
“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,” Lee’s office said in a statement.
Despite some logistical complaints from foreign diplomats about the rare choice of Gyeongju as a venue, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry dismissed reports of accommodation shortages, saying only about half the available rooms were booked.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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