(CNN) Vice President Mike Pence did not deliberately snub North Koreans at an Olympic reception, according to US officials who pushed back on South Korean reports that Pence deliberately came late to a VIP gathering Friday evening and then snubbed officials from Pyongyang. Officials traveling with Pence to the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in South Korea were responding to reports that Pence had gone around a main table and greeted everyone except Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's nominal head of state. These officials said that while Pence did not greet Kim Yong Nam, he didn't deliberately skip over him. Instead, they said, Kim simply wasn't seated in the area where Pence was receiving well-wishers. The officials said it was fair to say both Pence and the North Koreans rebuffed South Korean President Moon Jae-in's efforts to facilitate a meeting between North Korea and the US.

Source: CNN February 10, 2018 00:16 UTC