US Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics has been called “a missed opportunity” by a senior diplomatic source close to North Korea.
When asked about Pence’s remarks to the Washington Post of a possible diplomatic opening between the two countries, the source said North Korea remains skeptical of Pence’s comments given that he appears to have spoken on his own, without co-ordination from the White House and State Department.
The source said Pence “degraded the image of the United States as a superpower” by meeting with North Korean defectors along with Otto Warmbier’s father, and by speaking strongly against North Korea on multiple occasions.
The source further described as “undignified behavior” Pence’s decision to stay seated and to not applaud the unified Korean team at the opening ceremony, adding that the Vice President “took the low road instead of acting like a big brother.”
Even a small gesture of respect, the source says, could have led to a diplomatic opening between North Korea and the US that would have helped to increase trust between the two countries. Instead, Pence was criticized by North Korean media, accused of not respecting the “Olympic spirit.”
The source added, however, that North Korea could still be willing to work with the United States on a “comprehensive and integrated agreement,” under the right conditions — adding “denuclearization could mean many things,” including an agreement to suspend missile and nuclear tests in exchange for limited recognition or acceptance of its nuclear status.