What exactly is the gold crown that President Lee Jae-myung of Korea gifted to former U.S. President Donald Trump at APEC 2025? 👑 The fact that the gift was a gold crown has become a huge topic in the United States, so let’s take a quick look at what this Korean artifact actually is. The Silla Gold Crown is a relic from the Silla Kingdom, which existed from 57 BC to 935 AD and was the first dynasty to unify the Korean Peninsula. Its capital was Gyeongju, the same city where APEC is being held right now. The crown was first discovered in 1921 inside an ancient Silla tomb and is now designated as National Treasure No. 87 of Korea. The one gifted to Trump isn’t the original, of course. It’s a replica, though reportedly plated with a notable amount of real gold. Fun fact: Historians still debate whether the Silla crown was actually worn by kings. Because gold is too soft and some crowns were found shaped like death masks covering the faces of the deceased, many believe they were cerem...