Trump to make two-day state visit

US president will get best treatment: Cheong Wa Dae

By Kim Rahn

U.S. President Donald Trump

South Korea will provide the best treatment it can offer to a foreign dignitary when U.S. President Donald Trump arrives here Nov. 7 for a two-day state visit, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

Trump will be the first sitting U.S. head of state to make a “state visit” in 25 years following George H. W. Bush in 1992. He will also be the first head of state to visit Korea since the Moon Jae-in government was launched in May.

“A state visit is made only once for a country during a Korean president’s term,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said. “Considering this, Trump’s state visit means we are treating him with the best respect as a top guest.”

Foreign leaders’ visits are divided into state, official, working and private visits, with each governed by different protocols.

A state visit usually includes welcome and farewell ceremonies upon arrival and departure, an artillery salute, an official welcome ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae, a state dinner with a performance, a summit and cultural programs. Trump’s visit this time will include almost all such events, according to Park.

Trump and first lady Melania will arrive here in the morning following their visit to Japan. They will leave for Beijing in the afternoon the next day. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, will also accompany the first couple as a member of the official entourage.

“The U.S. side sought a two-night stay here (by arriving late on Nov. 6), but the U.S. and Korea finally agreed on the arrival on the morning of Nov. 7 considering the whole schedule for the Asian trip and protocol problems in the case of a late arrival at night,” Park said.

A summit between Moon and Trump is slated for Nov. 7, and their main topic will be how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. After the talks, they will announce a joint statement to the media without taking questions from reporters.

State visit guests also often deliver a speech at the National Assembly, and Trump is planning to do so as well. It will be the first such speech by a U.S. president since Bill Clinton in 1993.

“It will be the only occasion for Trump to make a speech about his policy during his visits to South Korea, Japan and China ahead of his participation in the APEC summit. He is expected to present his policies on the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the situation of Northeast Asia including the North Korea issue,” Park said.

Trump will also meet U.S. and South Korean service members, according to the White House, but other plans have not been finalized yet, including whether to visit the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas.

It was initially speculated the U.S. president would visit the DMZ as his predecessors did, but a Japanese newspaper recently reported he would not do so out of security concerns amid heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged bellicose rhetoric over recent months over the latter’s nuclear and missile provocations, both mentioning military options toward each other.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that details about his trip to Asia, including a visit to the DMZ, have not been confirmed yet. Asked if he was afraid of provoking Pyongyang by visiting the DMZ, he said, “We’ll take a look at that. I didn’t hear in terms of provoking.”