THIS is the moment a beaming Donald Trump was gifted a golden medal and gilded crown by South Korea’s president.
He’s in the country for a superpower summit with China‘s Xi Jinping – and rumours have swirled that Kim Jong-un could also make an appearance on this final stop of Trump’s Asia tour.
Hoping to woo Trump into finalizing a deal with his own country, President Lee Jae Myung awarded Trump with South Korea’s highest honour, and presented him with a replica of an ancient golden crown.
Trump became the first-ever American to receive the Grand Order of Mugunghwa – for his efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula in his first term.
Trump met three times with North Korea‘s Kim in the hope of getting him to sign a deal towards denuclearisation – though that ultimately failed.
Looking at the neck piece, he said: “I’d like to wear it right now. I will cherish it.”
The crown was also on the table, displayed in a glass cabinet.
Trump told Lee the gift was “very special” – but did not try to put the crown on.
The glittering totems were “in anticipation of the peace and prosperity that you will bring to the Korean peninsula”, Trump heard
He also enjoyed a dessert of “gold-adorned brownies and tangerines” served on a plate of bearing the word “PEACE”, to “celebrate a golden era of the Korea-US alliance”, Lee’s office said.
Japan – where Trump just signed a $490billion trade deal – took a similar approach.
There, the new leader, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, presented Trump with a golden golf ball, and a putter and golf bag that belonged to Trump’s late friend, the assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Washington and Seoul, however, have struggled to get a trade deal over the line.
The main sticking point is reportedly Trump’s demand for South Korea to invest $350billion in the US economy.
Korean officials say putting up cash could destabilize their own economy.
Trump said they’re very close to a deal, although it wasn’t ready yet.
There was a “considerable” chance Kim Jong-un will join Trump today, a South Korean minister said last week.
North Korea appeared to be “paying attention to the United States and various signs… suggest a considerable possibility of a meeting,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said.
Kim Jong-un was hoping in return to grab the attention of the US.
He fired a cruise missile into the sky just hours before Trump landed in South Korea, for no apparent purpose.
Pyongyang said the warship launch was a “deterrence exercise”.
Trump has said he hopes to meet Kim again at some point.
However, during the sit-down with Lee, Trump suggested it might be off the cards because their schedules don’t line up.
He said: “I know you’re officially at war but we will see what we can do to get that straightened out.
“I know Kim Jong Un very well, we get along very well.”
It’s unclear how much contact the Trump administration has had with Kim’s regime since returning to power.
Trump will be staying in South Korea to meet Xi Jinping tomorrow – and he’s said he is confident they will “have a good deal”.
It’s a hugely consequential meeting for investors on both sides of the Pacific, who hope trade tensions will ease.
