Pence to North Korea: 'Era of strategic patience is over'

Style Magazine Newswire | 4/17/2017, 1:30 p.m.
Vice President Pence warned North Korea on Monday that the "era of strategic patience is over" and that all options …
Vice President Mike Pence

Vice President Pence warned North Korea on Monday that the "era of strategic patience is over" and that all options are on the table if North Korean President Kim Jong Un continues to threaten the region with his missile and nuclear testing programs.

Pence, kicking off a 10-day Asian tour in Seoul, spoke at a joint news conference with South Korean acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn one day after North Korea's latest failed missile test. Pence pointed to recent U.S. military strikes in Syria and Afghanistan as proof of President Trump's resolve.

"North Korea will do well not to test his resolve or (the) strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region," Pence said. "North Korea answered our overtures (for denuclearization) with willful deception, broken promises, and nuclear and missile tests."

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he warned Washington to refrain from taking unilateral military action against North Korea, Russia's Tass news agency reported. Lavrov noted that "if the U.S. vice president meant that Washington could unilaterally use military force, then it is a risky road."

Lavrov said Russia considers the North Korea missile testing unacceptable, but not a signal for other nations to "violate international law in response and use military force."

Earlier in the day, Pence visited a military base near the Demilitarized Zone the separates the two Koreas. He walked within 100 yards of North Korean soldiers who took pictures of Pence and his entourage. Pence's late father, Edward, fought in the Korean War more than 60 years ago.

"On the way here, we actually saw some of the terrain my father fought on alongside Korean forces to help earn your freedom," Pence said.

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