South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung will gift Donald Trump a replica of a historic golden crown on Wednesday, the latest eye-catching present to be bestowed upon the US president during his frenetic tour of Asia this week.
The gift will be presented as the two meet in the South Korean city of Gyeongju on Wednesday.
South Korea’s presidential office said the gift would signify “the new era of peaceful coexistence and joint growth on the Korean Peninsula that South Korea and the US will work together on.”
The replica is based on the ancient Silla Kingdom’s gold crown, which symbolized “sacred authority and absolute rule” of kings and ruling class, according to the National Museum of Korea.
The kingdom was one of three ancient dynasties that ruled the Korean peninsula, and its artwork from the 5th and 6th centuries is considered particularly exquisite.
Silla’s gold crowns depict a tree with branches spreading upwards, “signifying the king’s heavenly mandate,” according to the museum. Decorations also include animals.
Trump is expected to view six Silla gold crowns, brought together for the first time for an exhibition at APEC, a regional summit of Pacific leaders being hosted in Gyeongju. The Silla kingdom was located in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula, where Gyeongju is today.
Yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gifted Trump a golf bag signed by golfing star Hideki Matsuyama and a putter owned by assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
South Korea’s gift might raise eyebrows among some of Trump’s critics in the US who have organized growing protests under the banner of a “No Kings” movement.