By Sohn JiAe

U.S. President Donald Trump finished a two-day state visit to Korea on Nov. 8. It’s the first official state visit by a U.S. president to Korea in 25 years, after former President George H. W. Bush came in 1992.

During his time here, Trump reaffirmed the solid Korea-U.S. alliance and the U.S.’s ironclad commitment to Korean defense.

The two leaders met at Camp Humphreys, a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Nov. 7, a site that is symbolic of the Seoul-Washington alliance. The two leaders had lunch with military servicemen and women from both countries.

An official welcome ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae for the visiting commander-in-chief was also held, with a show of utmost respect and formality for the first state visit by a U.S. president in a quarter of a century.

Following the ceremony, the two leaders held a summit where they agreed to continue strengthening the combined defense posture and capabilities of the bilateral alliance.

They reached a conclusion to completely lift the payload limit on Korean missiles, which came into effect starting Nov. 7.



After the summit, the presidents had time to build their friendship by taking a brief walk around the presidential palace, and by then taking part in a state banquet.

President Moon delivered a welcome speech there, saying, “This is the first state visit by a U.S. president for me and my administration. After spending a day with the president and first lady within Cheong Wa Dae, I feel a sense of intimacy, as if we were old friends.”

He mentioned the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s election victory on Nov. 8, and said, “In Korea, we have a custom of holding a special celebration on one’s first birthday. So after pondering how to best celebrate the first anniversary of President Trump’s victory, I decided to invite the president to Korea as a state guest and to hold a banquet.”

“President Trump’s election victory one year ago is already making America great again. I give you my word that I will always stand by you on our journey to make the Korea-U.S. alliance an even greater alliance,” he said.



In response, President Trump said, “We’ve been proud to stand by your side for many decades as an unwavering friend and a loyal ally. And you have never had a time where this ally has been more loyal or stood by your side more than right now.”

He concluded by saying, “We will continue to support each other in the years ahead. May freedom and peace flourish on this peninsula. May our bonds of friendship continue to deepen, and may the cherished hopes of our people and the people across the region soon be realized.”

President Trump wrapped up his two-day state visit by delivering a speech at the National Assembly and by then paying tribute to the fallen war heroes at the Seoul National Cemetery.







jiae5853@korea.kr