US President Donald Trump landed in South Korea on Wednesday, as part of his five-day tour to Asia. Receiving a lavish welcome, he met the South Korean President, Lee Jae Myung, who awarded him the country’s highest honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, for his “contribution to peace on the Korean peninsula”.
Trump was also awarded a gold crown, which is a replica of the gold crown from the ancient Korean kingdom, Silla. Presented with the crown by Myung in the Gyeongju National Museum, officials said the crown symbolises “the spirit of Silla, which brought peace to the Korean Peninsula for the first time”. The six known Silla crowns, dating back to about the 5th and 6th centuries, have been brought together for the first time to mark the APEC summit.
During a meeting with CEOs at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Trump said that he believes the US is “going to have a deal” with China and it will be “a good deal for both”.
Next on the chart is Trump’s meeting with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, a high-stakes meeting that may throw up surprises, especially since the two large economies have been engaged in an escalating trade war this year.
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While there’s no word yet on talks between Trump and Lee, it is said to be quite unlikely that a trade deal was finalised, despite South Korea being under tremendous pressure to strike a deal with the US.
However, Trump praised the US relationship with South Korea, calling it “very special”.
Back in July, the two countries agreed to cut “reciprocal” auto tariffs from 25 per cent to 15 per cent, in exchange for South Korea to pump in $350 billion in investments in the US.
Trump’s visit to South Korea was also marked by protests, only minutes away from the APEC CEO summit, with hundreds in attendance, asking the US President to “get out of here”. The police is learnt to have dragged the protestors away.
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