Mike Pence plans a united front with Japan and South Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics
- US Vice President Mike Pence is headed to Japan and South Korea ahead of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
- Pence told reporters in remarks that were posted online Monday night that his trip would signal a united front with Japan and South Korea in the face of North Korean aggression.
- President Donald Trump's right-hand man also said the US hopes to ensure North Korea "doesn't use the powerful symbolism and the backdrop of the Olympics to paper over the truth about their regime."
US Vice President Mike Pence is going to meet with the leaders of Japan and South Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
In remarks published online early Tuesday morning, Pence highlighted two main goals for the visit: to signal a united front with Japanese and South Korean leaders in opposition to a rogue North Korea, and to cheer on American athletes at the Olympic Games, which are set to begin February 9.
But President Donald Trump's right-hand man made it clear that the occasion will primarily be an exercise in isolating North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-Un.
"We'll collectively be reiterating our commitment between the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and a broad range of allies and partners around the world to continue to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions," Pence told reporters.
"All options are on the table," he said, adding that, with regard to the North, the US and its partners would continue to add "maximum pressure on an increasing basis." That line echoes remarks Trump made during his State of the Union address last week.
North Korea has, to some degree, made a big show of its participation in the Winter Olympics in the weeks leading up to it, which included a propaganda blitz that North Korea experts have described as the regime's attempt to score favorable press coverage.
Pence said the US hopes to ensure North Korea "doesn't use the powerful symbolism and the backdrop of the Olympics to paper over the truth about their regime."