Trump's visit to DMZ canceled due to bad weather

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US President Donald Trump scrapped an unannounced visit to the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the Democratic People's Republic of Korean (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) due to bad weather on Wednesday, the last day of his visit to the south, the White House said in an online statement.

The president made two attempts to reach the DMZ on Wednesday morning but was forced to cancel the trip due to fog, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

White House senior staff discuss the situation as US President Donald Trump sits in his car after being grounded from an attempt to visit the DMZ in the truce village of Panmunjom dividing the DPRK and the ROK, at a US military post in Seoul, November 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Marine One has flown most of the way from Seoul to the DMZ before turning back due to poor weather conditions, she told reporters. Weather reports from near the DMZ showed misting conditions and visibility below one mile.

The White House previously said Trump would not go to the symbolic spot.

Visiting US presidents have regularly gone to the DMZ, where soldiers from the DPRK and the ROK face off along a border marked by concrete blocks between emblematic blue huts.

US President Donald Trump sits in his car after being grounded from an attempt to visit the DMZ in the truce village of Panmunjom dividing the DPRK and the ROK, at a US military post in Seoul, November 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Sanders said South Korean President Moon Jae-In had been scheduled to join Trump at the DMZ, in what she believed would have been a "historic moment" as the US and ROK's presidents never visited it together.

"I think he’s pretty frustrated” that he had to change his plans, the spokeswoman said. "The effort shows the strong and importance of the alliance between the two countries," she added.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters