President Donald Trump may not visit the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea when he travels to Asia early next month, the White House said Monday.
Most previous US presidents have visited the eerie sliver of land that separates U.S. and South Korean troops from their North Korean adversaries.
A senior administration official said Trump had been invited by the government in Seoul to visit Camp Humphreys, south of the South Korean capital and away from the DMZ.
“There are certain elements of the schedule that are still being worked out,” said the official, asking not to be named.
“Security is not a concern. The president is most likely going to be visiting Camp Humphreys, it’s going to be very difficult for him to have time to visit both.”
A trip to the DMZ has been something of a presidential rite of passage, a symbol of America’s resolve to face down North Korea.
All recent presidents, except one-term commander-in-chief George H.W. Bush, have visited.
In April, Vice President Mike Pence visited, declaring that standing with US forces in Korea, along with “courageous soldiers from the Republic of Korea is a message of resolve.”
Trump will be in South Korea in early November, as part of a five-nation Asia visit that is set to be dominated by concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Trump will arrive in Japan on November 5, heading on to South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
AFP
