Blue House prepares state-level reception for Ivanka Trump’s visit

Posted on : 2018-02-23 15:58 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The US president’s daughter is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Feb. 23
Ivanka Trump speaks at a labor development conference at the Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee
Ivanka Trump speaks at a labor development conference at the Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee

The Blue House announced on Feb. 22 that it plans to greet White House advisor and aide Ivanka Trump with a head of state-level reception when she arrives in South Korea by private aircraft on the afternoon of Feb. 23. Trump is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to President Moon Jae-in and dine with him at the Blue House’s Sangchunjae reception room on the evening of her arrival.

Of the non-heads of state formally invited by Moon during the “Pyeongchang diplomacy” period, the only other figures Moon has shared lunches or dinners with have been US Vice President Mike Pence and members of a North Korean delegation led by Workers’ Party Central Committee first vice director Kim Yo-jong, who visited as a special envoy for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The selection of Sangchunjae for the dinner with Trump is another signal of the effort being taken with her reception. In the past, the reception room has been used chiefly for dinners with foreign heads of state on official visits.

In addition to the dinner with Moon, the Blue House has also reportedly been in discussions with the US on additional meetings with First Lady Kim Jung-sook and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha for Trump, who is expected to remain chiefly in the Pyeongchang area after Feb. 24. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reportedly plans to send its chief of protocol Lee Wook-heon and North American bureau director Cho Gu-rae to Incheon International Airport on Feb. 23 to greet Trump.

“In terms of the level of courtesy extended to Ivanka Trump, we plan to provide considerable treatment in reflection of the convenience of protocol and security as head of a delegation sent by the US President,” MOFA spokesperson Noh Kyu-duk said in a Feb. 22 briefing.

The Blue House’s efforts with Trump’s delegation were seen as signaling an attempt to carry on the mood of peace and reconciliation dramatically achieved on the Korean Peninsula with the Pyeongchang Olympics. With the peninsula’s “post-Pyeongchang” prospects remaining uncertain amid the lack of improvements in North Korea-US ties, Trump’s visit offers a window for Seoul to gauge the aims of her father, US President Donald Trump, and clearly voice South Korea’s position on the need for improved relations between Pyongyang and Washington. As President Trump’s oldest daughter and one of his closest associates, Ivanka Trump is seen as having a greater influence on his decision-making than meets the eye.

Indeed, Seoul is hoping that her visit will offer a chance to hear President Trump’s position on dialogue with North Korea after the previous failure of a meeting between Pence and Kim Yo-jong. Based on the inclusion of figures like White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House National Security Council director for Korea Allison Hooker, Seoul is predicting the visit by Ivanka Trump’s delegation holds a greater significance than simply viewing the closing ceremony and cheering on US athletes.

Trump’s visit an opportunity to discuss issues beyond North Korea

The South Korean government also believes the visit will be an opportunity for a detailed understanding of President Trump’s positions on recently emerging economic issues between the two sides, including regulations on South Korean steel imports and the shuttering of GM Korea’s factory in Gunsan.

But observers are predicting the only official messages from Ivanka Trump will be ones congratulating South Korea on a successful Olympics and emphasizing friendship in South Korea-US ties. Some within the US have expressed that it would be inappropriate for her to speak publicly about the North Korean nuclear issue or the trade matters at play between the two sides. Despite her being regarded as a close associate and heavy influence on President Trump, Ivanka Trump’s public statements in the past have typically been confirmed to issues regarding women, human rights, and jobs.

“Ivanka herself is going to wonder how it would come across for her to speak publicly about North Korea or trade matters,” said one foreign affairs source.

“But since it is true that she is visiting with the official role of presidential delegation head and holds influence regardless of her position, we won’t be able to say there is no message,” the source added.

By Kim Bo-hyeop and Kim Ji-eun

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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