North Korea scrapped meeting with Mike Pence at Winter Olympics
US Vice-President Mike Pence was to hold a historic meeting with North Korean officials but Kim Jong-un’s government cancelled.
US Vice-President Mike Pence was set to hold a history-making meeting with North Korean officials during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, but Kim Jong-un’s government cancelled at the last minute.
Mr Pence led the US delegation to the opening ceremonies in PyeongChang, South Korea, amid speculation that the US and North Korea might finally sit down to talk. North Korea had sent athletes to compete at the Games along with a delegation including its nominal head of state and Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-Jong. But while US officials had left open the possibility that Mr Pence could meet the North Koreans during the visit, they had emphasised that no such meeting was expected.
Today the Vice-President’s office said North Korea had “dangled a meeting” with Mr Pence in hopes that doing so would entice him to reduce pressure on the North. Mr Pence’s office suggested North Korea later bailed on the meeting because it became clear that Mr Pence would hold firm on the US stance if a meeting did occur. And the State Department said that while Mr Pence was willing to meet, he would have used the opportunity to “drive home the necessity of North Korea abandoning its illicit ballistic missile and nuclear programs”.
“We regret their failure to seize this opportunity,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
Mr Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, said that the planned meeting would have included an “uncompromising message” delivered by Mr Pence about the “maximum pressure campaign” the Trump administration is waging to try to deter North Korea from proceeding with its nuclear program.
“Perhaps that’s why they walked away from a meeting, or perhaps they were never sincere about sitting down,” Mr Ayers said.
North Korea had no immediate response to the news out of Washington. But North Korean officials had said previously that they had no interest or intention of meeting with Mr Pence in PyeongChang during the Games.
AP
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