Donald and Melania Trump honor the fallen of the Korean war on 70th anniversary of armistice at national memorial in D.C.
- President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war
- Trump saluted, Melania put hand on heart as trumpeter played 'Taps'
- First couple also spoke to several Korean War veterans who were present
- Trumps stayed a few feet away, no one shook hands or wore face masks
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
The two stood - the president saluting and the first lady with her hand over her heart - as a trumpeter played 'Taps.'
Afterward they paid their respects at the memorial, the first couple spent several minutes talking to veterans who were present.
The president saluted them and Melania Trump, in a black and white dotted $1300 Rosetta Getty dress, smiled at them.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump laid a wreath at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war
President Trump saluted and Melania Trump had her hand over her heart as a trumpeter played Taps
President Trump salutes a Korean War veteran
The Trumps exchange a glance after the laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump reflected in the granite wall at the memorial
The Trumps stayed a few feet away from the Korean War veterans. No one shook hands and no one wore face masks.
After the meet and greet, Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks Jeffrey Reinbold gave the first couple a tour of the monument.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in the Korean War. It sits on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial.
The memorial is composed of a granite wall with stainless steel statues of soldiers in front of it. There are images of troops moving by sea, land and air sandblasted onto the surface of the wall.
A squadron of 19 soldiers, including members from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, are in the memorial space in front of the wall, surrounded by green shrubbery.
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After the first couple laid a wreath at the memorial and paid their respects, they spent several minutes speaking with Korean War veterans
Melania Trump smiles and greets the veterans
Superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks Jeffrey Reinbold gave the first couple a tour of the monument
About 36,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in the Korean War
President Trump and Melania Trump arriving at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, which sits near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall
When the statues are reflected on the granite wall behind them, there appears to be 38 soldiers, which represents the 38th parallel, the dividing line of North and South Korea during the conflict.
Nearly 5 million people died in the Korean War, which has technically yet to end.
About 36,000 U.S. soldiers were killed.
Communist North Korea invaded the U.S.-backed South Korean on June 25, 1950, as it sought to reunify by force the Korean peninsula.
The fighting ended with an armistice in 1953 that was never replaced by a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula split by the Demilitarized Zone.
Tensions have deepened between the North and South in recent days as North Korea ramped up its aggression by blowing up a Seoul-built liaison office on its territory and threatening to take steps to nullify 2018 tension-reduction deals.
