Also in South Korea for the Olympics,.. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Meeting with President Moon Jae-in upon his arrival on Thursday,... the two sides shared their own ways of dealing with North Korea.
Adding extra spice to the clashing perspectives on the best path to take on the regime,... the North Korean leader's younger sister is flying into the South this afternoon.
Our chief Blue House correspondent Moon Connyoung reports. Welcoming the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to the presidential Blue House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in took the opportunity to highlight the visit of the North Korean officials to PyeongChang, what he referred to as "Olympic Games of peace."
President Moon credited the allies' close coordination and firm principles for getting North Korea to engage in inter-Korean talks and participate in the Winter Olympics in his country.
"I hope we can take this opportunity and make this a venue that leads to dialogue for the denuclearization of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula."
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Although the two agreed that the goal of any opening with North Korea must be denuclearization... there appears to be difference in how they'd like to get there.
"The United States of America will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our effort to bring maximum pressure to bear on North Korea until that time comes when they finally and permanently and irreversibly abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions."
Despite possible disagreements over how to approach North Korea, Mr. Moon and Pence in one voice echoed that the state of alliance between South Korea and the U.S. is unshakable.
Against this backdrop, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister, believed to be around 30 years old, is flying on a private jet to the South's Incheon International Airport later this afternoon...
with the rest of the North Korean delegates led by its ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam.
The presidential Blue House said President Moon will hold a luncheon with the North Korean delegates, including the first member of the North's ruling Kim family to visit South Korea.
South Korea's alpine resort town of PyeongChang where the 2018 Winter Olympics kick off later this evening may be one of the coldest places in this region boasting well below zero temperatures but, it will surely be red hot with Moon, Pence, and the influential sister of Kim Jong-un in one country at one time.
Just maybe, some observers say... even a high-level encounter between the Americans and North
Koreans while here enjoying one of the world's major international sporting events.
Moon Connyoung, Arirang News, the Blue House.
