Accusations of "shocking ignorance" have been leveled at Donald Trump after he claimed Korea was once part of China.
The comments were made in an interview for The Wall Steet Journal, shortly after Trump's meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping earlier in April.
However, it only came to prominence after an online news website published the quote.
The US President's statement has been meet with condemnation from South Korean officials because of their highly contested nature.
Nationalists in China believe ancient kingdoms and regimes in Korea were formerly a part of the Chinese Empire.
Therefore, they believe modern-day regimes and governments should also be a part of Beijing's influence - a hotly-contested belief among Korean officials.
A former ambassador for South Korea, Rah Jong-yil, called for Donald Trump to be "enlightened to the facts" before commenting on further situations.
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