President Moon Jae-in held an official welcoming ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae at 15: 15 this afternoon for U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, who are on a state visit to Korea.

The official welcoming ceremony featured formalities and the highest protocol to welcome President Trump, the first U.S. President to make a state visit to Korea in 25 years. President Trump is also the first foreign head of state to visit Korea since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in Administration.

Notably, today’s ceremony commenced with the welcoming of President and First Lady Trump by President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook, who were joined by a welcoming delegation of Korean and American children. The arrangement is meant to signify that the future of Korea-U.S. relations should be shaped together.

An honor guard and a military band of some 300 troops performed at the ceremony, which featured a blend of traditional and modern elements. The proceedings started with the exchange of greetings between the two heads of state, followed by their passage before a color guard in traditional Korean attire, the playing of the national anthems of the two countries, the reviewing of the honor guard, and the exchange of greetings with the official entourage accompanying the U.S. President.

President Moon and First Lady Kim waited at the entrance of Cheong Wa Dae for President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to arrive. They greeted President and First Lady Trump in person upon their arrival. 

After being received by President Moon and First Lady Kim, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted a group of Korean and American children and took a commemorative photo. The two leaders and the First Ladies passed before the honor guard and ascended to the prepared stage on the grand garden in front of the main building of Cheong Wa Dae. They were saluted by the honor guard commander, after which the military band performed a song of salute, the American national anthem and the Korean national anthem.

They were then guided from the stage by the honor guard commander and reviewed the honor guard as the military band and a band of traditional instruments played in the background.

After the review of the honor guard, President Trump greeted members of the welcoming delegation from the Korean side. President Moon also exchanged greetings with members of the official entourage from the United States. While the military band played to mark the end of the event held at the grand garden, the two Presidents moved to the main building of Cheong Wa Dae. 

Once inside, President Trump signed the guestbook at the lobby on the first floor while President Moon looked on. Then, the two leaders posed for commemorative photos together with First Ladies Kim Jung-sook and Melania Trump, bringing the official welcoming ceremony to an end.