US Vice-President Mike Pence has said his country's "era of strategic patience" with North Korea is over. His visit comes amid escalated tensions on the peninsula, with heated rhetoric from both North Korea and the US. On Monday, the US and South Korea launched a joint air force military exercise to ensure readiness against North Korea, according to South Korean media. He told reporters: "There was a period of strategic patience, but the era of strategic patience is over." Pence also reiterated the US commitment to South Korea, saying it was an "iron-clad alliance", and that North Korea "should not mistake the resolve" of the US to stand with its allies.

Source: The Star April 17, 2017 06:45 UTC