By Joseph Lord
U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in South Korea for a scheduled summit where he’ll meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other key regional leaders.
He was greeted with a red carpet welcome and a military band playing the song “YMCA” by the Village People—a mainstay for Trump on his campaign trail before his second term.
A key agenda item for Trump during his visit to South Korea is a summit in Gyeongju, where the U.S. allied nation is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. At the summit, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump touched down in South Korea later than expected, arriving around 90 minutes after his initial arrival time. That late arrival comes after North Korea announced that it had tested a new cruise missile in the seas to its west a few hours earlier.
Trump’s visit to South Korea comes as part of a larger tour of the region.
Trump arrived in Southeast Asia on Sunday, beginning with a visit to Malaysia. During meetings with Malaysian and other regional officials, Trump secured key commitments on rare-earth materials and trade imbalances. During his visit, he announced four trade deals with Malaysia and others.
Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday for meetings with Japanese officials, including a meeting with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a ceremonial meeting with Emperor Naruhito.
This story will be updated with additional details.
Reuters contributed to this report.
