South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has conferred the nation’s highest distinction, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, on former US President Donald Trump, hailing him as a “peacemaker” for his efforts toward stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The ceremony, held in Gyeongju on Wednesday, marked the final leg of Trump’s Asia tour, which also included stops in Malaysia and Japan. South Korea’s presidential office said the award — named after the national flower — was granted in recognition of Trump’s “role as a peacemaker on the Korean Peninsula.”
A replica gold crown inspired by the ancient Silla kingdom was also presented to Trump. “I’d like to wear it right now,” he quipped, becoming the first US president ever to receive the honour.
Trump’s arrival was celebrated with full military pageantry as US and South Korean fighter jets escorted Air Force One, while a military band played “YMCA” and a 21-gun salute echoed across the tarmac.
President Lee, wearing a gold tie “to reflect President Trump’s taste for gold,” described the honour as symbolising the “golden future of the South Korea-US alliance.”
During a working lunch, both leaders dined on a customised menu tailored to Trump’s preferences, including mini beef patties with ketchup, grilled fish glazed with ketchup and gochujang, and a “Peacemaker’s Dessert” — a brownie dusted with edible gold.
Lee’s office said the Thousand Island dressing served with the meal was “a nod to President Trump’s success story in his hometown of New York.”
The day concluded with a banquet attended by leaders from Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, and Singapore, where Trump wines — Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon — from his family’s Virginia estate were served.
Reiterating his call for dialogue, Trump again invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resume peace talks, though Pyongyang has yet to issue a response.
“The honour symbolizes the history of Silla, which maintained a long-term era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, and the new era of peaceful coexistence and growth that South Korea and the United States will work together for,” President Lee’s office said.
Despite reports of logistical challenges in Gyeongju, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry dismissed concerns about accommodation shortages, noting that only about half of available hotel rooms were booked.
