Trump Says "South Korean President Also Surprised by How Clean Washington, D.C. Has Become"

On August 25 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States said that President Lee Jaemyung, who visited Washington, D.C. for a summit, was reportedly surprised by how clean the streets were.

Before the South Korea-U.S. summit that day, President Trump made these remarks as he signed executive orders prohibiting 'no-bail release' for criminals and imposing prison sentences for burning the national flag.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by UPI

He stated, "The leader of South Korea will be arriving shortly. President Lee has already driven through the streets of Washington, D.C. According to reports from his team, President Lee said, 'What happened? When I visited before, the streets were dirty, and there were homeless people and trash everywhere, but now it is very clean.' The roads have been thoroughly cleaned, and they will become even better in the coming months," he added.

The two executive orders signed ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit are follow-up measures to President Trump's ongoing 'war on crime,' which he is pursuing nationwide, starting with Washington, D.C. One order calls for investigating jurisdictions that implement policies allowing immediate release without bail for minor offenses and suspending or withdrawing federal funding from them. The other order stipulates that burning the national flag during street protests will be prosecuted as 'inciting a riot,' carrying a prison sentence of one year.

No-bail release is a policy implemented in states such as New York, Illinois, and California, where President Trump has suggested deploying the National Guard due to rampant crime. These states are governed by Democratic governors. President Trump has long opposed this system, arguing that it threatens public safety.

On August 11, President Trump dispatched the National Guard to Washington, D.C. to combat crime. According to major foreign media outlets such as ABC, about 2,000 National Guard members have been deployed to Washington, D.C., and since the previous day, they have been conducting patrols while armed. On August 22, President Trump also announced that he would consider deploying the National Guard to other major cities, including Chicago and New York. These cities are known for their strong Democratic support.