US Says North Korea Canceled Meeting With Pence At Last Minute

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in attend short track speed skating events at the Gangneung Ice Arena in South Korea, Feb. 10, 2018. Reuters/John Sibley

WASHINGTON/SEOUL—U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to meet with North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, while in South Korea for the Winter Olympics this month but the North Koreans canceled at the last minute, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

“North Korea dangled a meeting in hopes of the Vice President softening his message, which would have ceded the world stage for their propaganda during the Olympics,” Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, said in a statement.