Ivanka Trump is reportedly going to get a lavish, First Lady-style welcome at the Winter Olympics - in the hope she'll persuade Trump to visit North Korea

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Ivanka Trump is reportedly going to get a lavish, First Lady-style welcome at the Winter Olympics - in the hope she'll persuade Trump to visit North Korea

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Ivanka Trump

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Ivanka Trump.

  • South Korea plans to roll out the red carpet for Ivanka Trump when she visits the country next week, according to local media.
  • The South Korean president plans to greet her in person, and accompany her to a skiing event at the Winter Olympics, a report said.
  • The country has no diplomatic obligation to host her with such grandeur, but is "considering exceptional measures" to influence President Trump.
  • They want to flatter Ivanka so she can persuade her father to visit North Korea.


South Korea is reportedly preparing a lavish reception for Ivanka Trump's visit next week, the kind that would usually be reserved for a first lady of head of state.

Officials are said to be planning to roll out the red carpet ahead of the Winter Olympics - with the ultimate goal of lobbying her father, President Donald Trump, to visit North Korea on a diplomatic trip.

Seoul plans to host Ivanka Trump as if she were First Lady, South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reported on Monday. She is visiting Pyeongchang on February 25 for the closing ceremony of the Olympics.

According to the newspaper, officials plan to flatter Ivanka by having South Korean President Moon Jae In accompany her to watch a skiing competition, and by getting First Lady Kim Jung Sook to show her round the country. Ivanka is a keen skier herself, and has hit the slopes at least twice since her father took office.

Officials reportedly also want to "lavish" her three children with presents.

Although Seoul has no diplomatic obligation to host the president's child on such a grand level, officials are "considering exceptional measures" because of Ivanka's influence in the White House, an unnamed South Korean government official told The Chosun Ilbo.

By comparison, Vice President Mike Pence wasn't given such a warm welcome when he arrived in South Korea to open the Winter Olympics two weeks ago.

The Chosun Ilbo said: "The government apparently wants to soften her up so [Donald] Trump agrees to a mooted visit to Pyongyang by President Moon Jae In."

Moon Jae-in

Jae C. Hong/AP

South Korean President Moon Jae In is expected to host Ivanka Trump when she comes for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.

Seoul is rolling out the red carpet for Trump "on the assumption that she is to all intents and purposes the first lady of the US rather than Trump's reluctant wife Melania," The Chosun Ilbo added.

South Korea has been actively pushing for peace on the Korean peninsula. Earlier this month President Moon met with Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and pledged to "creating the necessary conditions in the future" for him to visit the North.

The US has also expressed willingness to negotiate with Kim Jong Un, but pledged to maintain a "maximum pressure" approach until Pyongyang reached out.

It's unclear whether Trump will meet Kim Yo Jong - who has been dubbed "the Ivanka Trump of North Korea" - during her visit. Pence skipped a dinner in order to avoid her.