Trump scores golden gifts but no investment dollars during South Korea visit

GYEONGJU South Korea AP President Donald Trump wished South Korea to invest billion in the American market So far he s settling for a gold medal and a crown Both were gifts from the country s president Lee Jae Myung who dialed up the flattery while Washington and Seoul struggled to finalize details on financial promises during the last stop of Trump s Asia trip There was a special lunch menu featuring U S -raised beef and a gold-adorned brownie A band played Trump s campaign anthem of Y M C A when he stepped off Air Force One Lee reported him that you are indeed making America great again Trump can be mercurial and demanding but he has a soft spot for pomp and circumstance and he seemed satisfied despite the lack of a business deal He was particularly impressed by a choreographed display of colorful flags as he walked along the red carpet That was chosen spectacle and specific beautiful scene Trump advised Lee during their meeting It was so perfect so flawlessly done Earlier in the day Trump even softened his rhetoric on international bargain which he normally describes in predatory terms where someone is unfailingly trying to rip off the United States The best deals are deals that work for everybody he noted during a business forum Trump is attending the second summit of his trip Trump was visiting while South Korea is hosting the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the historical city of Gyeongju He previously stopped in Japan where he bonded with the new prime minister and Malaysia where he attended a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations The Republican president has been trying to tie up bargain deals along the way eager to show that his confrontational approach of tariffs is paying dividends for Americans who are uneasy about the job sphere and watching a federal leadership shutdown extend into its fifth week Both sides say they re still working on a pact deal However South Korea has been tough to crack with the sticking point being Trump s demand for billion of direct outlay in the U S Korean bureaucrats say putting up cash could destabilize their own commercial sector and they d rather offer loans and loan guarantees instead The country would also need a swap line to manage the flow of its currency into the U S Trump commented they re very close to a deal although it wasn t ready yet Oh Hyunjoo a deputy national protection director for South Korea communicated reporters earlier in the week that the negotiations have been proceeding a little bit more slowly than expected We haven t yet been able to reach an agreement on matters such as the structure of investments their formats and how the profits will be distributed she disclosed Monday It s a contrast from Trump s experience in Japan where the cabinet has worked to deliver the billion in investments it promised as part of an earlier agreement agreement Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicized up to billion in specific commitments during a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo For now South Korea is stuck with a tariff on automobiles putting automakers such as Hyundai and Kia at a disadvantage against Japanese and European competitors which face Lee speaking at the business forum before Trump arrived warned against contract restrictions At a time when protectionism and nationalism are on the rise and nations focus on their immediate survival words like cooperation coexistence and inclusive rise may sound hollow he announced Yet paradoxically it is in times of emergency like this that APEC s role as a platform for solidarity shines brighter Trump and Lee swap praise despite disagreements Lee took office in June and had a warm meeting with Trump at the White House in August when he praised Oval Office renovations and suggested building a Trump Tower in North Korea He took a similar approach when Trump visited on Wednesday The gold medal presented to Trump represents the Grand Order of Mugunghwa the country s highest honor and Trump is the first U S president to receive it Trump announced it s as beautiful as it can possibly be and I d like to wear it right now Next was a replica of a royal crown from the Silla Kingdom which existed from B C to A D The original crown was determined in a tomb in Gyeongju the kingdom s capital Besides bargain disagreements there have been other points of tension between Washington and Seoul this year More than South Koreans were detained during a U S immigration raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia in September sparking a sense of outrage and betrayal Lee mentioned at the time companies would likely hesitate to make future investments unless the visa system was improved If that s not achievable then establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very challenging for our companies he noted Petitioned Monday about the immigration raid Trump commented I was opposed to getting them out and he noted an improved visa system would make it easier for companies to bring in skilled workers Trump-Xi meeting is expected Thursday While in South Korea Trump is also expected to hold a closely watched meeting on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping Washington and Beijing have clashed over transaction but both sides have indicated that they re willing to dial down tensions Trump stated reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that he expects to lower tariffs targeting China over the flow of fentanyl ingredients They ll be doing what they can do he mentioned Trump added that China is going to be working with me Trump sounded resigned to the idea that he wouldn t get to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on this trip The president previously floated the possibility of extending his stay in South Korea but on Wednesday declared the schedule was very tight North Korea has so far dismissed overtures from Washington and Seoul saying it won t resume diplomacy with the United States unless Washington drops its demand for the North s denuclearization North Korea explained Wednesday it fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters in the latest display of its growing military capabilities as Trump visits South Korea Trump brushed off the weapons test saying he s been launching missiles for decades right The two leaders met during Trump s first term although their con