Josh bernstein 2/8/2018

Published: Feb. 8, 2018, 3 p.m.

"Vice President Mike Pence on Monday did not rule out contact with North Korean officials when he attends the Winter Olympics in South Korea this week, saying, â??I have not requested a meeting, but weâ??ll see what happens.â?? The comments came as North Korean athletes, artists and officials were descending on South Korea for the Games in Pyeongchang. Among them is Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of North Koreaâ??s Parliament, who serves as a nominal head of state and will lead a 22-member delegation of its officials making a rare visit to the South. Speaking to reporters in Alaska during a stopover on his way to Japan and South Korea, Mr. Pence reiterated the administrationâ??s stance that â??all options are on the tableâ?? in confronting North Korea about its nuclear weapons and missile programs. He said part of the purpose of his visit was to tell â??the truth about North Korea at every stop.â?? â??Weâ??re traveling to the Olympics to make sure that North Korea doesnâ??t use the powerful symbolism and the backdrop of the Winter Olympics to paper over the truth about their regime,â?? he said, calling it â??a regime that oppresses its own people, a regime that threatens nations around the world, a regime that continues its headlong rush to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.â?? READ: www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/world/asia/mike-pence-north-korea.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article