South Korea Will Roll out Red Carpet for Ivanka
Ivanka Trump heads to PyeongChang, South Korea this week to attend the Winter Olympics closing ceremony as part of the Team USA's delegation. And while there, she's reportedly going to be treated "to all intents and purposes [as] the first lady of the U.S., rather than Trump's reluctant wife Melania." South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports that the South Korean government intends to pull out all the stops in the hopes that Ivanka will convince her dad to visit too.
"You can say that Ivanka Trump holds the key to convincing the U.S. government," an unnamed lawmaker told the newspaper. "We will provide all the support we can in terms of diplomatic protocol."
The country's government plans have a high-ranking official greet Ivanka when she arrives, and she'll have access to the Cheong Wae Dae security team (kind of like South Korea's equivalent to the secret service) instead of the police. According to the paper, South Korea has no obligation to treat the son or daughter of any U.S. president in this manner, but as it seeks to promote peace in the Korean peninsula, the country is hoping for help and support from the U.S. When Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea, he wasn't given the same special treatment - he not only sat stone-faced during the opening ceremony while the leaders from North and South Korea shook hands, but he refused to applaud for any athletes apart from Team USA.
"Since President Trump cannot make it to PyeongChang, Ivanka is his proxy and envoy," another lawmaker explained. "It's important to win her support." The president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, may even accompany Ivanka to watch a skiing competition, and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, plans to "show Ivanka around." The country will also apparently shower Ivanka's children with gifts.
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