Pence tells N. Korea not to test 'US resolve'

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, second from right, along with his wife Karen and two daughters, Audrey and Charlotte, look at North Korea while listening to U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks at Observation Post Ouellette in the Demilitarized Zone near the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. / AP-Yonhap

All options on table, says US vice president

By Kim Rahn

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the Donald Trump administration’s stern attitude toward Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and continuous provocations Monday, saying all options were on the table.

In a joint press conference with South Korea’s acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, Pence said the Trump government will be different from previous administrations which attempted to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in vain through negotiations.

The vice president mentioned the recent U.S. attacks on Syria and Afghanistan, clearly sending a warning to the North of the possible military measures it may face if it continues on its current path. “North Korea would do well not to test his (Trump’s) resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region,” Pence said.

His remarks come amid escalating tension on the peninsula after Washington intensified its warnings to Pyongyang following a series of ballistic missile tests by North Korea. Pyongyang in response has pledged counterattacks against any U.S. use of military force.

“The era of strategic patience is over,” Pence said in the conference at Hwang’s official residence in Seoul.

He said two decades of attempts by the U.S. and its allies to peacefully dismantle the North’s nuclear programs only met with willful deception, broken promises and more missile tests.

Calling the Kim Jong-un regime the most dangerous and urgent threat to peace and security, he said, “We hoped to achieve this objective (denuclearization on the peninsula) through peaceful means, but all options are on the table.”

Pence also dismissed recent speculation of a possible delay in the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in the South. On Sunday a White House foreign policy adviser told U.S. reporters accompanying Pence that the installation was up to Korea’s next president who will be elected May 9.

“We will continue to deploy the THAAD missile defense system as a defensive measure,” Pence said.

He also called for China to be more active in dealing with North Korea issues and expressed concern about China’s economic retaliation against South Korea over the THAAD deployment. “The better path will be for China to address the North Korean threat that is making such defensive measures necessary,” he said.

“If China is unable to deal with North Korea, the United States and our allies will.”

Hwang also reaffirmed the allies’ commitment to deter North Korean threats. “We agreed to strengthen sanctions against the North so the country will give up its nuclear ambitions,” he said.

He also confirmed the THAAD battery will be installed as planned and be made operational as soon as possible.

The Trump administration has raised pressure on the North with shows of force. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which was scheduled to go to Australia after participating in the Foal Eagle military exercise here, is heading back to the peninsula. The U.S. carried out a strike on an air base in Syria earlier this month in response to the use of deadly chemical weapons against civilians.

Pence is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit South Korea since the launch of the Trump administration. South Korea is also the first Asian country he has visited as vice president.

After a three-day visit here, Pence will leave for Tokyo today, and then travel to Indonesia and Australia. Before Pence, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited South Korea, and both discussed the North Korea issue with Hwang.