U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in a meeting Thursday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that Washington would "bring maximum pressure to bear on North Korea" until they abandon their nuclear weapons program.
Meeting with Moon at the Blue House in Seoul, Pence reaffirmed to longtime ally South Korea the U.S. commitment to economically and diplomatically isolate North Korea in order to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
Early Friday, Pence traveled to the South Korean Navy's 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to visit a memorial for the South Korean warship Cheonan, which was torpedoed by the North. Nearly 50 sailors aboard the Cheonan were killed.
The vice president is also scheduled to meet with some North Korean defectors while in Pyeongtaek.
Later Friday, Pence will lead a U.S. delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Moon said South Korea is viewing hosting the Olympics as a way to improve diplomatic relations with North Korea. He has referred to the games as the "Olympic Games of peace."