South Korean President Moon Jae-in has raised some eyebrows with the suggestion that Donald Trump should receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
At a cabinet meeting on Monday, Moon told his ministers that he was “confident that a new era of peace will unfold on the Korean peninsula”, and praised his American counterpart’s role in the recent thawing of relations with Pyongyang.
Responding to a letter from one of South Korea’s past first ladies calling for Moon to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Moon said: “It's President Trump who should receive the Nobel Prize. We only need to take peace.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He has previously said the US President deserved “big credit” for the recent thawing in relations with North Korea, The Independent reports.
The suggestion might seem bold, but the success of Friday’s inter-Korean summit means Moon has “the political capital to make these kinds of statements about Trump, however eyebrow-raising they may be to his domestic constituents”, says NPR.
Since Moon’s landmark talks with Kim Jong Un on Friday, Pyongyang has said it is to close a nuclear testing facility and bring the North Korean timezone into line with the South, while Seoul has agreed to cease loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts at the border.
Trump is set to meet Kim within weeks for the first-ever talks between sitting US president and a North Korean leader.
The image of Trump being crowned as a peacemaker on the level of Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela was met with incredulity by some on social media:
But for his admirers, it was a moment to crow about:
One person likely to approve Moon’s sentiment is Trump himself, who has repeatedly attributed the fresh hope for peace on the peninsula to his own policies:
-
How medical imposters are ruining health studiesUnder the Radar Automated bots and ‘lying’ individuals ‘threaten’ patient safety and integrity of research
-
‘How can I know these words originated in their heart and not some data center in northern Virginia?’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Can Trump deliver a farmer bailout in time?Today's Big Question Planting decisions and food prices hang in the balance
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?The Explainer Activist María Corina Machado wins prestigious prize, despite public campaign by Donald Trump
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
