U.S.-N. Korea Meeting

[Anchor Lead]

The U.S. State Department says that Vice President Mike Pence had quietly planned to meet with members of the high-ranking North Korean delegation to the South on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Games, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s younger sister. But, U.S. officials say, Pyongyang pulled out of the meeting at the last minute. Here’s more.

[Pkg]

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence never once looked at the North Korean delegation sitting right behind him at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics. But the Washington Post says that the two sides were scheduled to meet behind closed doors the following day. Vice President Pence insinuated at the possibility of talks with the North Koreans prior to his trip to South Korea.

[Soundbite] Mike Pence(U.S. Vice President)

However, the meeting did not take place. The Washington Post said that Mike Pence and Kim Yo-jong were to meet at Cheong Wa Dae, but the North all of a sudden called off the meeting two hours prior. Sources say the North decided to cancel the talks because Mike Pence kept talking about new sanctions and met with North Korean defectors during his stay in the South. The U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Twitter that the U.S. regrets North Korea's failure to seize this opportunity. The Washington Post said that the two sides had vast differences in their stances from the start, with Washington willing to demonstrate its determination to continue its maximum pressure campaign on the nuclear issue and Pyongyang wanting to get rid of sanctions.