U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for the final stop of his Asia tour, which also included Japan and Malaysia. His arrival in the historic city of Gyeongju was marked by military pageantry including a gun salute, a band playing “YMCA,” and the presentation of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, South Korea’s highest state honor.
President Lee Jae Myung awarded Trump the medal and a replica of the ancient Cheonmachong gold crown, calling him a “peacemaker” on the Korean Peninsula. The Mugunghwa medal, named after the national flower, has rarely been awarded to foreign leaders. Trump is the first U.S. president to receive it.
Why It Matters
The symbolic gesture reflects Seoul’s bid to strengthen personal and diplomatic ties with Washington amid ongoing trade negotiations and regional security challenges. South Korea is pushing for reduced U.S. tariffs and greater cooperation on supply chains and defense.
Lee’s administration has been courting Trump, who returned to office promising a tougher yet transactional foreign policy. The warm reception signals Seoul’s intent to maintain close alignment with Washington while navigating its tense relations with China and North Korea.
Trump, visibly pleased, said, “I’d like to wear it right now,” upon receiving the medal. His team called the welcome “a sign of enduring friendship.”
Analysts, however, see the move as both flattery and strategy. “Lee is playing to Trump’s vanity, but this is also about securing leverage on trade and defense cost-sharing,” said Seoul-based political analyst Park Joon-ho.
The North Korean government has yet to comment on Trump’s renewed invitation for talks with Kim Jong Un, which he repeated during the visit. Past U.S.-North Korea summits under Trump ended in stalemate, as Pyongyang continued developing nuclear weapons despite diplomatic outreach.
What’s Next
Trump and Lee are expected to continue talks on lowering U.S. tariffs on Korean exports in coming months, alongside discussions on semiconductor cooperation and North Korea policy.
The visit will culminate in a dinner with leaders from Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore several of whom rescheduled meetings to accommodate Trump’s early departure ahead of the APEC summit.
For Lee, the elaborate welcome is a calculated gamble: rewarding Trump with royal-style honors to keep Seoul high on Washington’s diplomatic radar as power dynamics shift across the Indo-Pacific.
With information from Reuters.
