South Korea gifted President Trump a golden crown and a coveted medal in a show of flattery during Trump’s visit to the country on Wednesday.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presented his U.S. counterpart with the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, South Korea’s highest honor, as well as a replica of a historic gold crown. The honor was given to Trump for his efforts to bring peace between North and South Korea.
Trump said it was a “great honor” to receive the medal and said he “would like to wear it right now.”
The U.S. president, who is on the final leg of his Asia tour, attended the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Gyeongju, South Korea on Wednesday. Trump announced during his visit that Seoul and Washington had “pretty much” reached a trade deal.
“We reached a deal. We did a lot of different things. Great session,” he told reporters, according to the White House pool report. “We came to a conclusion on a lot of very different items,” the president said.
As Trump traveled to South Korea on Wednesday, North Korea conducted a series of cruise missile tests.
“They’ve been launching missiles for decades. It’s another missile that was launched,” the president said when asked about North Korea’s move.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia, but it’s unclear whether a summit will take place. The commander in chief told reporters Wednesday that he and Kim have a good “understanding of each other.”
The two leaders last met in 2019 during denuclearization talks.
