Seoul [South Korea], October 30: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has awarded US President Donald Trump the country's highest order of merit in recognition of his "contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula," Seoul said on Wednesday.
Trump was awarded the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, becoming the first US president to receive the distinction. The award consists of a pendant worn around the neck.
"It's a great honour," the US president said at the ceremony in Gyeongju, South Korea. "I can wear it right now," he joked.
Lee also presented Trump with an ornate, specially gold-plated replica of a historical crown from Korea's ancient Silla dynasty, which ruled from 57 BC to 935 AD.
During his first term in office, Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times in 2018 and 2019 - the first and so far only meetings between a sitting US president and a North Korean ruler.
Trump is currently on a two-day visit to the south-eastern city of Gyeongju, where he is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
While Trump was there on Wednesday, the US and South Korea finalized further details of a trade agreement after months of negotiations. The US president said the deal was "pretty much" done.
Source: Qatar Tribune
