TOKYO — Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. is preparing to announce the “toughest and most aggressive” economic sanctions against North Korea in the coming days, boosting pressure on the bellicose government during the Winter Olympics.
Pence, who is set to lead the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies Friday, made the announcement in Japan Wednesday, following meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“The United States of America will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever – and we will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile programs once and for all,” Pence said.
U.S. officials declined to detail the expected sanctions beyond Pence’s comments, citing concerns that any additional information could be used by those trying to skirt the new measures. They are expected to be implemented before the conclusion of the games.
On a six-day trip to Japan and South Korea, Pence is seeking to reassure and refocus American allies on the growing nuclear threat from North Korea.
In meetings with government leaders, military officials and U.S. service members, Pence said he wants to make sure the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics don’t distract from the bellicose North Korean human rights abuses and nuclear program. He met Wednesday with Abe at his official residence to discuss increasing pressure on the North.
“The United States is with you in this challenge,” Pence told Abe as they began their bilateral talks. “And we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Japan, the people of South Korea, and our allies and partners across the region until we achieve the global objective of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
However, the sanctions announcement comes just a couple days after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and then Pence, indicated that U.S. and North Korean officials could possibly meet on the sidelines of the games in Pyeongchang. They both said “we’ll see” when asked if the U.S. would engage in a meeting with the regime.
“A message was being sent,” explained an administration official when discussing what Pence and Tillerson’s remarks. “All it does is indicate that anything is possible.” The White House stressed, however, that Pence himself would not negotiate with North Korea and there was nothing planned in terms of talks with the regime.
The declaration of new, strong sanctions to come is likely to quell any discussion of direct talks between the two countries during the Olympics. CBS News White House reporter Jackie Alemany reports that Pence did not make any reference to the prospect of dialogue with North Korea on Wednesday, instead pointing to the North’s history of secretly accelerating its nuclear program during talks to dismantle it.
“We must not forget that North Korea and South Korea have marched under the same banner before,” Pence said. “The world witnessed it at the Olympics in 2000, 2004 and the Winter Olympics in 2006, only to see North Korea to continue its pursuit of threats and provocations. In fact, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon eight months after the conclusion of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends an opening ceremony of a newly constructed residential complex in Ryomyong street in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 13, 2017.
REUTERS
Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s ceremonial leader, will lead the country’s 22 person delegation to Pyeongchang, which will include Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister. A South Korean news agency reported on Monday that South Korean President Moon Jae-in is considering a one on one meeting with Kim Yong Nam. Mr. Pence will meet with Mr. Moon on Thursday in Seoul.
On Wednesday, Pence watched Japanese troops demonstrate the simulated deployment of Japan’s surface-to-air missile defense system, which would attempt to intercept a North Korean missile. He also participated in a briefing at Japan’s Ministry of Defense on the threat.
“The people of Japan can be assured: The full range of the Armed Forces of the United States will continue to be dedicated to the protection of Japan,” Pence said, promising again that “all options are on the table” to address the North Korean threat.
Pence will travel on to South Korea Thursday for meetings with President Moon Jae-in, where he will promote the Trump administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure” against the North, as the South pursues a diplomatic opening around the Winter Olympics.
As North Korea’s march toward obtaining a functional nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. has exceeding the American government’s estimates, the Trump administration has worked to rally the international community to embrace tougher economic sanctions and isolation of the North.
“We will not allow North Korean propaganda to hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games,” he said. “We’ll be there to cheer our athletes, but we’ll also be there to stand with our allies, and remind the world that North Korea is the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet.”
As his personal guest to the opening games, Pence invited Fred Warmbier, the father of Otto Warmbier, an American who died last year days after his release from captivity in North Korea.
Pence is expected to take other symbolic moves on the trip to keep attention on North Korea, including a Thursday morning meeting with defectors from the North.
It comes after President Donald Trump welcomed Warmbier’s parents and a prominent defector at his State of the Union last week, as well as a larger group of those who fled the North to the Oval Office Friday.
