South Korea has conferred its highest national honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, on United States President Donald Trump during a grand welcome ceremony in the historic city of Gyeongju.
Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, the final stop of his Asia tour that also included Malaysia and Japan. He is expected to hold key trade discussions with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to South Korea’s presidential office, the prestigious award named after the country’s national flower was given in recognition of Trump’s “role as a peacemaker on the Korean Peninsula.” The US president also received a replica gold crown modeled after the ancient Silla Kingdom, symbolizing peace and prosperity.
“I’d like to wear it right now,” Trump quipped as he accepted the glittering medal. Officials noted that he is the first sitting US president to receive the honour.
Trump’s arrival was marked by an elaborate military display, with US and South Korean fighter jets escorting Air Force One and a gun salute echoing across the tarmac as a military band played “YMCA.”
President Lee, wearing a gold-coloured tie, said the colour “reflects President Trump’s taste for gold and symbolizes the golden future of the South Korea–US alliance.”
At a working lunch, the two leaders were served a menu tailored to Trump’s preferences, including “mini beef patties with ketchup,” a “Korean Platter of Sincerity” made with US beef and local rice, and grilled fish glazed with ketchup and gochujang. The meal ended with a “Peacemaker’s Dessert” a gold-decorated brownie.
Lee’s office explained that the inclusion of Thousand Island dressing was “a nod to President Trump’s New York roots and success story.”
Later in the day, Trump and Lee joined other Asia-Pacific leaders including those from Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore for a state dinner featuring Trump-branded wines produced by his son, Eric Trump.
During the event, Trump reiterated his call for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resume peace talks, though Pyongyang has yet to respond.
“This symbolizes the history of Silla, which sustained long-term peace on the Korean Peninsula, and represents a new era of coexistence and shared growth between South Korea and the United States,” Lee’s office said in a statement.
Despite some logistical concerns raised by foreign diplomats over the choice of Gyeongju as the venue, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said accommodations were sufficient, noting that “only about half the available rooms were booked.”
