South Korea has rolled out the red carpet for Donald Trump on the final leg of his Asia tour.
The US president was bestowed the country’s highest honour – the Grand Order of Mugunghwa – and was handed a replica gold Cheonmachong crown by president Lee Jae Myung.
He said that the gifts were to mark Trump’s role as peacemaker on the Korean peninsula.
Ever-humble Trump said ‘I’d like to wear it right now’ as he accepted the glittering decoration.
However, his acceptance of a crown may be viewed dimly back at home where millions ofpeople took to the streets as part of a series of ‘No Kings’ protests nearly two weeks ago against his flagship One Big Beautiful Bill.
The pomp and ceremony surrounding his visit was slightly overshadowed by North Korea, which claimed to have successfully tested sea-to-surface cruise missiles during his visit.
The tests were announced as Trump headed to South Korea and involved missiles flying for over two hours before striking targets in North Korea.
He once again expressed a desire to meet Kim Jong Un again during his trip, but acknowledged difficulties in arranging a meeting.
He said: ‘I know Kim Jong Un very well. We get along very well. We really weren’t able to work out timing.’
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One from Japan to South Korea, he downplayed the launches saying: ‘He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?’
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Seoul and the US were analysing the weapons and maintaining a combined defence readiness capable of a ‘dominant response’ against any North Korean provocation.
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Pyongyang’s latest launches followed short-range ballistic missile tests last week, which it said involved a new hypersonic system designed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
North Korea has yet responded to Trump’s overture as it has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with the US fell apart in 2019 due to disputes over American-led sanctions.
Many experts say North Korea is not likely to return to talks with Trump any time soon unless it is assured it would get big US concessions like extensive relief of sanctions, but others say Pyongyang would find it difficult to ignore the US leader’s repeated attempts because it could become less of a foreign policy priority for Mr Trump.
Mr Trump is in South Korea for talks with Mr Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders’ summit set to open on Friday. The US president is likely to skip the Apec meeting.
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