Thick fog prevents Trump's DMZ tour
By Kim Hyo-jin
U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to make a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along with President Moon Jae-in, but failed to do so due to thick fog in the area, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
His helicopter en route to the heavily fortified border had to turn back as the area was shrouded in fog. Also, he could not afford a delay ahead of a planned speech at the National Assembly in the morning, and flight to China later in the day.
The plan, if realized, would have carried significance as a show of resolve against North Korea especially when the country is heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula with a series of nuclear and missile provocations. Though scrapped, it was interpreted as a boast of a strengthened South Korea-U.S. alliance.
“There wasn’t enough visibility for landing due to heavy fog,” presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters. “Moon headed there by car after his helicopter landed at an alternate site. Trump waited for the fog to clear, but to no avail, so he decided to turn back.”
The plan started with Moon’s helicopter lifting off from Cheong Wa Dae at 7:01 a.m. Trump left his accommodation at 7:09 and took off from the Yongsan U.S. military base on the Marine One helicopter at 7:43 a.m.
But after about a 25-minute flight, his helicopter had to return to the base upon recommendation of military pilots and the U.S. Secret Service.
Trump delivered his determination for the tour to Moon every 10 minutes in standby mode at the base, the spokesman said, but he had to cancel as the weather worsened. Moon returned too at 9:03 a.m.
“The two leaders’ resolve to visit the DMZ we witnessed today was enough to send a strong message on the tight South Korea-U.S. alliance and security for peace,” Park said.
The joint visit was planned on Moon’s suggestion, according to Cheong Wa Dae. During their summit Tuesday, Moon proposed the idea, saying, “I recommend you visit the DMZ even if you have to adjust your schedule.”
Trump replied he was considering it as there were some suggestions from his aides, and sought advice from Moon.
When Moon nudged Trump, saying he would accompany Trump, Trump accepted the offer, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Following the cancellation of the tour, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump was “pretty frustrated” adding that a DMZ visit was “something the president wanted to do.”
“The fact they were still planning for it showed the strength of the alliance,” she said.
There has been not a single case of incumbent presidents of both South Korea and the U.S. visiting the DMZ together. U.S. presidents visited the DMZ alone four times ― Ronald Reagan in 1983, Bill Clinton in 1993, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama in 2012.
When attention was high on whether Trump would make a customary visit to the DMZ as previous presidents ahead of his departure, the White House said it ruled out the plan due to a tight schedule.
Some worried Trump’s visit could further inflame tensions with North Korea following a war of words between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.