Pence could have done better
By Lyman McLallen
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That U.S. Vice President Mike Pence snubbed Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, and the nominal head of North Korea, Kim Yong-nam ― for whatever Pence’s reasons ― does not reflect well on him or on the U.S.
True enough, Washington and Pyongyang are not on good terms right now, but they are not at war either. A leader of a strong nation such as the U.S. should do all he or she can do to promote peace, regardless of how other countries behave. It doesn’t mean the U.S. should lay down and do nothing, but a country as strong as the U.S. can and should rely on its strength to be more than merely tolerant of a country such as North Korea. It can be strong enough and wise enough and generous enough to be understanding, to give peace a chance.
What good did it do Pence, the U.S., the Koreas and the rest of the world, though, for him to be rude as he was to South Korea’s guests from the North in the presence of his and their host, Korean President Moon Jae-in? Moon is doing all he can to pursue peace on the peninsula, which is difficult enough as it is. Pence, being hostile as he was, did not make it any easier for Moon.
It is as if Pence came to Korea to deliberately agitate things with North Korea, which is not only an insult to Moon and the South Koreans, but is putting peace in the region in jeopardy. It’s as if Pence ― who is “just a heartbeat away from being the President of the United States,” as an old saying goes ― wants to have a war, and who would win?
Probably and hopefully, nothing will come of this, except that as an American, I am dismayed at the vice president’s behavior. It would have been easy for him to have been gracious. Instead, he indulged in mean-spirited and stupid arrogance, making America look bad in the eyes of the world. Despite all of Kim Jong-un’s boasting, North Korea is no threat to the United States, and everybody knows that ― especially Kim Jong-un.
Pence should have known it too.
McLallen is a copy editor at The Korea Times.