President Donald Trump made the final stop on his three-day tour of Asia today, following visits to Malaysia and Japan.
Trump became the first American leader to receive South Korea’s highest honor, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, awarded in recognition of his efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.
In addition, Lee Jae Myung presented him with a golden crown, described as “the largest and most extravagant of the existing gold crowns” from the Silla period. He was told the crown represents “the divine connection between heavenly and earthly leadership.”
The day culminated with a bilateral meeting and working lunch at 2:40 p.m. local time, hosted by the South Korean prime minister. Seated around the table were Leavitt, James Blair, Lutnick, Rubio, Bessent, Wiles, and Miller, with President Trump positioned between Rubio and Bessent.
“We’ve been dealing with very tough negotiators and that’s the way it should be,” Trump said of the South Koreans, adding that there was “great love” between the two nations. He also signaled optimism about economic cooperation, announcing that a new trade agreement with South Korea will happen “soon.”
Turning to national security, Trump told the South Korean prime minister, “I know you’re officially at war but we will see what we can do to get that straightened out,” in reference to North Korea.“I didn’t even know there were so many problems,” he said.
The president reaffirmed his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying, “I know Kim Jong Un very well, we get along very well,” and repeated that it was “common sense” for the standoff on the Korean Peninsula to end. Trump again said his and Kim’s schedules didn’t line up for the meeting to take place.
Trump praised the South Koreans as the “master” of shipbuilding while lamenting the industry’s decline in the United States. He called the elaborate arrival ceremony “perfect” and “flawlessly” executed, adding, “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like that.”
Lee Jae Myung urged President Trump to grant Seoul permission to use fuel for nuclear-powered submarines — a request Washington has long resisted.
“We don’t mean to build nuclear-armed submarines,” Lee told Trump explaining that “because diesel submarines are less capable of submerged navigation, there are restrictions on tracking North Korean or Chinese submarines.”
Tomorrow, Trump will have a highly anticipated meeting with the President of China Xi Jinping. He has teased “something exciting” to come out of the talks. Fentanyl is expected to be at the center of the discussions, alongside efforts to build on an existing framework and deescalate trade tensions that have risen in recent months.
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