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Trump Salutes North Korean Army General

In an awkward moment during meeting with Kim Jong Un and his delegates.

President Trump saluted a uniformed North Korean military officer, according to footage broadcast by North Korean state TV this week and unearthed by CNN. After Trump shook North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s hand, the president then offered his hand to the regime’s Gen. No Kwang Chol, who instead salutes Trump, causing the U.S. president to awkwardly return the gesture. The pair then shake hands. It is typical, The Hill reported, for presidents to salute members of the U.S. military as a sign of respect, but it is not normal to salute members of other countries’ militaries—especially countries described by CNN as “one of the most oppressive regimes on Earth.” Trump also saluted members of Singapore’s military while visiting for the summit. “It was an inappropriate thing for him to do from a protocol perspective,” retired Rear Adm. John Kirby told CNN. “He’s played right in to the North’s propaganda about their legitimacy on the world stage.”