President Donald Trump is the first US president to make a state visit to South Korea in 25 years. During his short trip to the country, Trump delivered a policy speech which was the only one that he will deliver for his entire 2-week 5-nation Asia trip.
According to an embassy official of South Korea, the state visit was a first in 25 years that's been made by a president of the United States. The US president can only make one state visit to a country for the entire duration of the presidential term.
"This is the reason why President Trump's state visit was meaningful," said the official in an interview with foreign journalists. "The visit of Trump was seen as a rare opportunity for both leaders to trust each other and reaffirm their friendship. Fortunately, the two countries reaffirmed their ironclad alliance."
Trump and Moon Jae-in, the President of South Korea, discussed strengthening of the alliance, establishing prosperity and peace in Northeast Asia, increasing cooperation on both global and bilateral issues, and developing a close coordination in order to resolve the nuclear issue with North Korea.
Melania Trump, the First Lady, and President Trump arrived in Seoul on November 7th.
State Visit Diplomacy
Trump has a well-documented penchant for opulence and pomp. World leaders definitely took notice of this. Trump’s first overseas trip, which was in Saudi Arabia, included displays of admiration and respect. Brass bands and red carpets met the US President at the airport. Also the likeness of Trump was put up on several billboards spread all over Riyadh.
Trump labeled his first day in Saudi as tremendous. Just this week, he praised King Salman in a Twitter post for his initiative on anti-corruption.
As for Japan, the country organized a one-of-a-kind itinerary for Trump’s visit. After gifting him a gold golf club worth thousands of dollars last year, Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, also arranged a golf tournament for Trump and the 4th best golf player in the world, Hideki Matsuyama. Moreover, the Prime Minister Abe gave Trump a stunning gold-emblazoned hat.
"I don’t think that we have ever been this close with Japan," exclaimed Trump.
This is the pattern that South Korea wanted to follow. In the country, Trump received not just a 21-gun salute and a military honor guard, but also a military band performance. Then he was whisked to a luxurious state dinner together with the South Korean president.
The visit granted Moon a much closer relationship with Trump. They are now calling each other by their first name. According to Jonathan Berkshire Miller of Japan International Affairs Institute, Trump has a BFF in Japan. However, he has a contentious relationship with South Korea. In order for the Korean president to bond with Trump like the rest of South Korea's neighboring countries, he has to play catch-up and the state visit surely helped.
