US Vice President Pence warned that North Korea would not be allowed to hijack the Winter Olympics with its "propaganda" - AFP / FILETOKYO - 7 February 2018: Washington will soon unveil its "toughest and most aggressive sanctions" ever against North Korea, US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday after talks with Japan's prime minister in Tokyo.He also warned that North Korea, which will participate in this month's Winter Olympics as part of a joint delegation with South Korea, would not be allowed to "hijack" the event with its "propaganda". "I'm announcing today that the United States will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea," Pence said, standing alongside Shinzo Abe after talks on the threat posed by Pyongyang. ""We shouldn't be captivated by the charm offensive of North Korea," he added.North and South Korea have, at least temporarily, put aside their enmity to allow Pyongyang to send athletes to the Games, an opening that some see as an opportunity to push for a negotiated settlement.But Pence warned that North Korea would not be allowed to instrumentalise the Games. "We will not allow North Korean propaganda to hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games," he said. "We will not allow North Korea to hide behind the Olympic banner the reality that they enslave their people and threaten the wider region."

Source: Egypt Today February 07, 2018 09:11 UTC