A group of Republicans has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to ease nuclear tensions between North and South Korea.

Should Mr Trump receive the honour, he would be the fifth US president to do so, joining Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

In a letter spearheaded by Luke Messer, who is running for the Senate in Indiana, 18 members of the House of Representatives assert that the US President should "receive the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work to end the Korean War, denuclearise the Korean peninsula and bring peace to the region".

The group includes several other politicians who are also running for governor or senator in Republican-leaning states or strongholds.

Image: A peace rally in Seoul, South Korea, last November

The letter said the Trump administration had successfully united the international community, including China, in imposing strict sanctions which had "decimated the North Korean economy and have largely been credited for bringing North Korea to the negotiating table".


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recent pledges to freeze nuclear and long-range missile tests have fed hopes of a historic turning point in the region.

While the politicians conceded North Korea had made and broken promises before, they argued "President Trump's peace-through-strength policies are working and bringing peace to the Korean peninsula".

"We can think of no one more deserving of the committee's recognition in 2019 than President Trump for his tireless work to bring peace to our world," they added.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in only days ago suggested the US President should win the esteemed accolade for his efforts to resolve the Korean crisis.

North and South Korea start to implement historic peace agreement

His comments followed the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade last week, during which both leaders stepped in to North and South Korea before agreeing to a "complete denuclearisation" of their peninsula.

In January, Mr Moon said Mr Trump "deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks. It could be a resulting work of the US-led sanctions and pressure".

Mr Trump himself is preparing for a potential summit with Mr Kim later this month or in June.

His administration has cautioned the US seeks "commitment" rather than "words" from the North Korean leader on yielding lasting peace.

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo met the North Korean leader to lay the groundwork for the face-to-face talks during a secret visit to Pyongyang last month when he was CIA boss.

Trump warns he'll walk away if North Korea de-nuclearisation offer fails

On Wednesday he said North Korea must commit to immediately dismantling its weapons programme, adding that efforts to denuclearise Pyongyang were still in the "beginning stages" and the outcomes "unknown".

The President last week said the US was "not going to be played" when it comes to talks with North Korea.

At a campaign rally in Michigan at the weekend he was greeted by supporters chanting "No-bel! No-bel!".

"That's very nice, thank you. That's very nice," a smiling Mr Trump responded.

Two days later he returned to the topic, saying it was "very generous" for the South Korean leader to suggest he receive the prestigious award.

"I appreciate it, but the main thing is to get it done," he added.