Park Sun-won, a lawmaker from South Korea’s Democratic Party, has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to party officials.
Cho Seung-rae, the party’s chief spokesperson, told reporters on February 3, following a high-level strategy meeting at the National Assembly, that Park submitted Trump’s nomination on January 30 ahead of the Nobel Prize Committee’s deadline at the end of the month.
Individuals eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize include past laureates, current and former members of the Nobel Committee, government officials, lawmakers, and university professors. Park, who previously served as the first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) under the Moon Jae-in administration, qualifies under these criteria.
According to Cho, Park interacted with the Trump administration during the North Korea-U.S. diplomatic negotiations, which influenced his decision to nominate the former president.
“During his first term, President Trump helped advance dialogue between the United States and North Korea, bringing the Korean Peninsula closer to peace,” Cho said. “The nomination reflects the hope that Trump will continue efforts toward peace on the peninsula in the future.”
When asked whether the nomination was discussed with the party leadership beforehand, Cho responded, “It wasn’t a formal consultation, but Park did mention his intent to nominate Trump.”
Earlier that day, during the opening session of the National Assembly, Park was seen showing a handwritten memo to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and senior party official Kim Min-seok. A photo of the note was captured by the media.
According to the leaked image, the memo read: “Trump Nobel Peace Prize nomination – Submission to Norwegian Committee completed – U.S. side notified (to be reported to the White House).”
The Nobel Peace Prize, unlike other Nobel categories, is reviewed and awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, with the ceremony held at Oslo City Hall.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
