Donald Trump was welcomed in South Korea with a golden crown, the country's highest honor, and a wave of flattery
South Korea on Wednesday welcomed US President Donald Trump with a replica of a golden crown and awarded him the “Great Order of Mugunghwa”, the country's highest award, the presidential office in Seoul said, quoted by Reuters.
Trump landed in South Korea on the last leg of an official tour of Asia that included stops in Malaysia and Japan, with major trade talks expected with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
US and South Korean fighter jets escorted Air Force One on its approach to the airport, and on the tarmac a South Korean military brass band greeted Trump with a rendition of his favorite “YMCA” as cannons were fired.
BREAKING 🚨 South Korea just surprised Donald Trump playing YMCA as he steps off Air Force One
America is RESPECTED around the world again
THIS IS AWESOME ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lh7aaA0QOx
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 29, 2025
Lee is hoping to win concessions from Trump in negotiations that began months ago to reduce US tariffs on South Korea. Despite strained relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, President Lee praised his American counterpart's efforts to reach a rapprochement with North Korea.
Trump, praised as a “peacemaker” by South Korea
Lee's office said that in recognition of Trump's role as a “peacemaker” on the Korean Peninsula, he was awarded the “Grand Order of Mugunghwa,” named after South Korea's national flower, a pink hibiscus known in English as the “Rose of Sharon.”
“I could wear it right now,” Trump said when presented with the glittering accolade. A South Korean official said he is the first US president to receive the honor.
President Donald J Trump moments ago in South Korea with the South Korean President at The Gyeongju National Museum receiving South Korea's Highest Honor, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa! President Donald J Trump is the first American President to receive this!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇰🇷🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/I2hzpy1PnH
— Michael Solakiewicz (@michaelsolakie) October 29, 2025
During his first term, Trump held a series of summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, before talks collapsed as Pyongyang did not give up its programs to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his invitation to meet with Kim again, but North Korea has so far ignored his latest overtures.
A crown for a US president who presented himself as a king
Lee wore a custom gold tie, which his office said “reflects President Trump's taste for gold, captures the golden future of the South Korea-US alliance and the status of South Korea.”
Lee and Trump met at a museum in the city of Gyeongju, a quiet tourist town filled with historic tombs and palaces from its time as the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom, which ruled about a third of the Korean Peninsula until the 9th century.
Trump received a replica of the Cheonmachong gold crown as a gift. The delicate original, discovered in a tomb in Gyeongju, has tall golden arms and hanging leaf ornaments.
“It symbolizes the history of the Silla kingdom, which maintained a long era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, and a new era of peaceful coexistence and common growth that the United States and South Korea will build together,” Lee said.
Trump presented himself several times as a king wearing a crown in edited photos and videos that were released by the White House or himself, which also inspired the name of the protests that took place in the US against his administration: “No Kings”.
The US leader was served a 'Korean Platter of Sincerity'
The two leaders had a working lunch that included a “Thousand Island” salad dressing, which Lee's office said was a tribute to “President Trump's success story in his hometown of New York.” The meal also included local specialties “in line with President Trump's preferences.”
The menu included “beef mini meatballs with ketchup,” a “Korean Sincerity Platter” with American beef, local rice and soy paste, as well as grilled fish glazed with ketchup and gochujang – a red chili paste.
The lunch ended with a “Peacemaker's Dessert”, consisting of a brownie decorated with gold leaf.
They come from the winery of the US president's son
The day will end with a dinner with leaders from Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand and Singapore. The leaders will be served Trump Chardonnay and Trump Cabernet Sauvignon wines from a winery managed by Eric Trump, one of the US president's sons.
Three diplomatic sources said some of those leaders had adjusted their schedules to accommodate Trump, who arrived and will depart ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Gyeongju is not usually the site of such large-scale international events, and foreign diplomats have complained of difficulties in reserving rooms, finding suitable meeting spaces and relocating staff from Seoul.
On Wednesday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry disputed reports of a lack of accommodation, saying only about half of the available units in the area were booked.
