“North Korea dangled a meeting in hopes of the Vice President softening his message, which would have ceded the world stage for their propaganda during the Olympics,” Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, said in a statement. Pence had criticized Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and announced the “toughest and most aggressive” sanctions against Pyongyang yet, while also moving to strengthen the US alliance with Japan and South Korea. “Only when denuclearization moves forward can inter-Korean relations move forward,” said Kang, adding Washington’s role is “very important” in bringing North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea has refrained from carrying out any weapons tests since late November, when it shot off its largest intercontinental ballistic missile. South Korea’s Unification Ministry declined to say on Wednesday whether North Korea has been engaging in its regular winter military exercises, which usually run from December for a few months.

Source: bd News24 February 21, 2018 02:48 UTC