Mike Pence sits feet from the sister of North Korean leader.
For all of Vice President Mike Pence’s efforts to keep North Korea from stealing the show at the Winter Olympics, the images of the two Koreas marching together — and their off icials shaking hands — at a time of heightened tensions on the peninsula proved impossible to counteract.
Pence spent the days leading up to Friday’s opening ceremonies warning the North was trying to “hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games” with its “propaganda.”
But the North was still welcomed with open arms to what South Korean President Moon Jae-in called “Olympic games of peace” and the U.S. appeared to be the one left out in the cold.
Pence sat stone-faced in his seat as Moon and North Koreans officials stood together with much of the stadium to applaud their joint team of athletes. White House officials stressed that Pence had applauded only for the American team, but Asia experts said the vice president’s refusal to stand could be seen as disrespectful to the hosts.
U.S. officials have been urging South Korea to be cautious — a point Pence drilled home in private meetings with Moon.
But North Korea’s terrible record on human rights and the growing threat from its nuclear weapons program appeared out of mind as Moon warmly greeted Kim Yo Jong, the sister of dictator Kim Jong Un.
At an earlier VIP reception for delegation leaders, Pence arrived late and stayed for just 5 minutes — and did not interact with the delegation from the North.
Frank Jannuzi, an expert on East Asia at the Mansfield Foundation in Washington, criticized the Trump administration for straining too hard to signal disgust of Kim Jong Un’s government. “The grievances that the world has about North Korea are very legitimate. But the Olympic moment that President Moon is trying to generate here is not a time to nurse those grievances,” Jannuzi said.
Although South Korea has supported Trump’s campaign of “maximum pressure” against North Korea, Moon has been keen to use the Olympics to pry open the door to better relations and North Korea has jumped at the opportunity.