All smiles at ‘peace Olympics’ in Korea
US Vice-President Mike Pence was smiling yesterday as he enjoyed the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, sitting in front of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s sister.
Mr Pence was feet away from Kim Yo Jong in Pyeongchang, South Korea, who took her seat behind Mr Pence’s wife Karen after an historic handshake with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.
Kim’s influential younger sister is among a top North Korean diplomatic delegation.
She is the first member of Pyongyang’s ruling dynasty to set foot in the South since the Korean war more than 60 years ago.
But Mr Pence was in no mood for any other gesture of conciliation.
He told America’s Today TV show that while the US had agreed to delay military exercises in the region until after the Olympics, Donald Trump was still prepared to defend his country. “We are going to make it crystal clear that our military, the Japanese selfdefence forces, our allies here in South Korea, all of our allies here across the region, are fully prepared to defend our nations,” Mr Pence said.
President Moon has promoted the games as a “peace Olympics” and North and South Korea have some jointlyrepresentative teams competing.
In the arena, 30,000 people watched the opening ceremony in a -3C (26F) chill.
Team GB was led by flag-bearer Lizzy Yarnold, who is defending the Olympic gold medal she won in the skeleton at Sochi, in Russia – Britain’s first in the snow. Britain has a 58-strong squad, our biggest at a Winter games.