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Agencies

Stony faced, US President Donald Trump stares down a smiling Kim Jong-un in a high-stakes scene, unfolding entirely on the surface of a coin.
The commemorative piece was minted by the White House Military Office, which typically designs coins for Trump’s trips abroad, before an expected summit between the two leaders in Singapore on June 12.
The coin describes the meeting as “peace talks”, in English and Korean.
It is only a small element of America’s recent rapprochement with North Korea but it appeared to gain a currency all its own on social media.
Some Twitter users seemed to think the coin did not depict Kim in a particularly flattering light. The posture of both leaders shows Trump leaning forward as Kim leans back accentuating his chins.
Trump’s neck and chin appears to be much firmer.

I wonder if Kim Jong Un will like the extra few chins they added to the Military Office coin. pic.twitter.com/LzIKiSRwSI
— Levi Gibian (@LeviGibian) May 21, 2018


kim jong-un gets the double chin treatment pic.twitter.com/5OSdidZPIq
— Tasneem N (@TasneemN) May 21, 2018

The coin also announces Kim’s title as “supreme leader”, despite there being no official position with that name in North Korea.
Kim is usually referred to as chairman of the state affairs commission in state media, while he is also chairman of the ruling party.
Some observers were worried the coin might send the wrong message.

There's now a White House Military Office coin for the upcoming Trump Kim Jong Un summit. The North Korean dictator is referred to as "Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un." pic.twitter.com/tFAmE813Y1
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 21, 2018


Well, there's counting chickens before they've hatched...
And then there's Trump issuing official coins for the US - North Korea meeting THAT MIGHT NOT EVEN HAPPEN where Kim Jong-Un is inscribed as SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG-UN.pic.twitter.com/6FAsdzJLkY
— Santa Claus, CEO (@SantaInc) May 21, 2018


Are you kidding me?! This is just gross. Whose personality cult exactly is this summit legitimizing? This is un-American. Can’t imagine what Fox would say if any other POTUS did this. Wow. Just wow. https://t.co/rn79W4RWO9 via @voxdotcom
— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) May 22, 2018

In a statement, White House Communications Agency deputy spokesman Raj Shah insisted that “the White House did not have any input into the design and manufacture of the coin”.
The White House Communications Agency regularly issues commemorative or challenge coins to present to foreign guests, diplomats and members of the military.
A number of the coins are available for sale through the White House Gift Office.
Peace in Korea will rest on Koreans themselves – not Trump or Xi
“Since 2003, White House Communications Agency (WHCA) members have ordered a limited number of commercially designed and manufactured souvenir travel coins for purchase,” Shah explained.
“These coins are designed, manufactured and made by an American coin manufacturer. These souvenir coins are only ordered after a trip has been publicly announced.”
The Singapore meeting would be the first summit between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea, if it happens at all.
Trump has said repeatedly he might pull out, and that scenario became more likely last week as the two governments traded heated words.


US Vice-President Mike Pence also warned on Monday that the president was still willing to walk away from the meeting, telling Fox News that North Korea should not attempt to seek concessions for promises it did not intend to keep.
Trump has reportedly been focusing on the pageantry of the summit rather than immersing himself in detailed briefings on the complex issue of North Korea’s nuclear programme.


He has been particularly interested in suspense-filled announcements that could come out of the meeting, according to Associated Press.
The release of the coin comes ahead of a visit to Washington Tuesday by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will meet with Trump.
Moon’s White House visit was originally arranged as a meeting to fine-tune a joint strategy for dealing with Kim but has instead become more of a crisis session after Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the planned summit in Singapore.
The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, Reuters


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North Korea

White House souvenir coin for Singapore ‘peace talks’ features Trump and Kim … and Twitter users are having a good chin wag

The coin depicts Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's ‘Supreme Leader’, in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags. PhotoL AFP

China tells Trump to stay calm over North Korea threat to cancel nuclear summit

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pictured during his visit to Paris. Photo: EPA-EFE

(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 9, 2018 US President Donald Trump shakes hands with National Security Advisor John Bolton during a meeting with senior military leaders at the White House in Washington, DC. John Bolton -- Donald Trump's national security advisor known for his bold mustache and even bolder statements -- now finds himself in North Korea's sights, with Pyongyang upset over his suggestion that it follow Libya's lead on denuclearization. This is the biggest hiccup in the tentative rapprochement that began on March 8, when the president stunned the world by saying he was ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.On May 16, 2018, Kim's regime expressed its dismay and threatened to scrap the much-anticipated summit between the two mercurial leaders set for June 12 in Singapore. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM

Dennis Rodman says Kim Jong-un ‘didn’t realise who Donald Trump was’ until he gave the North Korean leader a copy of ‘Art of the Deal’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) watches a basketball game between former U.S. NBA basketball players and North Korean players of the Hwaebul team of the DPRK with Dennis Rodman (R) at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang January 9, 2014. Photo: REUTERS/KCNA

News

Asia

Diplomacy

Some on social media seemed to think the coin did not depict Kim Jong-un in a particularly flattering light


A commemorative coin featuring US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has been commissioned by the White House ahead of their planned summit next month.


Kim Jong-un

Donald Trump