South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday presented President Donald Trump with South Korea’s highest honor, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, along with a replica of the golden Cheonmachong crown.
Lee said the honors were a token of “new trust and companionship between Korea and the United States.”
“We present this gold crown to you on this joyous occasion of your state visit to Gyeongju because it symbolizes the spirit of Silla, which brought peace to the Korean Peninsula for the first time, and the opening of the golden age of the Korea-U.S. alliance,” said South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Protocol Affairs Kim Tae-jin.
Kim said the crown symbolizes “divine connection between the authority of the heavens and sovereignty on Earth, as well as the strong leadership and authority of a leader.”
Lee then awarded Trump with the Grand Order of Mugunghwa to commemorate his efforts as a peacemaker, on the Korean Peninsula and around the world. Trump is the first U.S. president to receive the honor.
Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for the last stop in his tour of Asia, which began with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday. Gyeongju is the coastal city where the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is being held this week.
Gyeongju is not a large city – it lacks an international airport and has few major hotels, so cruise ships have been pressed into service as floating hotels for the APEC forum. Gyeongju was chosen for the event because it has great historical significance as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla, the first kingdom said to have unified all of Korea. Gyeongju has so many places of historic interest, including a UNESCO World Heritage site, that it has been nicknamed the “museum without walls.”
The replica crown presented to Trump is a duplicate of the Cheonmachong crown from the Silla Dynasty. The original was discovered in one of the royal tombs of Gyeongju. The tomb included a drawing of a flying horse, which became the inspiration for the name of both the tomb and crown – “Cheonmachong” literally means “mural of a flying horse.”
Like most crowns from the Silla era, the Cheonmachong crown is decorated with a Chinese character called shan, a three-pronged symbol that represents a mountain. The Chinese written language was commonly used in Korea during the Silla era, which began in 57 B.C. In both Korean and Chinese culture, the mountain is considered an auspicious symbol representing strength and stability.
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is the highest award bestowed by the Republic of Korea (ROK), the South Korean government. It was established in 1949 and modeled on the Grand Order of Brilliant Jade, a similar honor created by the Republic of China (ROC) in 1933. The ROC enjoyed a strong relationship with Korea before it was displaced by the Chinese Communists and withdrew to the island of Formosa, which is now known as Taiwan.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a high honor presentation ceremony, where Trump was presented with a replica of a crown (R) worn by the kings of Silla, at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju on October 29, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The first recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa was Syngman Rhee, the first president of modern South Korea. It is traditional for every subsequent president of South Korea to receive the award upon taking office. It can also be presented to foreign heads of state, as was done for the first time with West German President Heinrich Lubke in 1964. Many, but not all, of South Korea’s First Ladies have also been presented with the Grand Order.
The design of the medal was significantly revised in 1967 – technically, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa was abolished and recreated by official decree. The physical design of the award has been revised a total of 29 times, most recently in 2020, with a few minor tweaks since then. In every iteration, the award includes the mugunghwa, the national flower of South Korea, and a symbol of the spirit and resilience of the Korean people.
“It’s as beautiful as it can possibly be,” Trump said when Lee presented him with the award on Wednesday. “I’d like to wear it right now.”
Lee and Trump held a bilateral summit in Gyeongju after the award ceremony, during which Lee asked Trump to provide South Korea with fuel for nuclear submarines. Trump has been keenly interested in persuading Seoul to increase its military spending and strengthen its defense posture.
“If fuel supply is permitted, we can build several submarines equipped with conventional weapons using our own technology to defend the waters around the Korean Peninsula, ultimately reducing the burden on U.S. forces,” Lee said, noting that South Korea’s current inventory of diesel submarines lacks the range to property monitor both North Korean and Chinese naval activity.
“The Republic of Korea will boost defense spending and develop the defense industry to significantly enhance its self-defense capabilities. We will make sure to increase our defense expenditures to help reduce the U.S.’ defense burden,” Lee pledged.
The South Korean president also promised to reinforce Trump’s effort to rebuild American manufacturing, especially in the realm of shipbuilding. Lee said such cooperation will “not only benefit both of our economies but also contribute greatly to making the alliance more practical and robust.”
Lee also applauded Trump’s effort to hold another meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, who met with Trump three times during the U.S. president’s first term. Lee said that although Kim does not appear inclined to meet again, Trump brought “a sense of warmth and peace” to the Korean Peninsula by making the effort.
“This will serve as another seed that can spark a major wave of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Lee predicted.
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