North Korean officials canceled planned meeting with Pence: Pence's office

[GennGreymane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-n...+World+News%29

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to meet with North Korean officials earlier this month during the Winter Olympics in South Korea but the North Koreans canceled the meeting, Pence’s office said on Tuesday.

Pence was going to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the nominal head of state, Kim Yong Nam, but the North Koreans scrapped the Feb. 10 meeting two hours before it was set to start, the Washington Post reported.


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”This administration will stand in the way of Kim’s desire to whitewash their murderous regime with nice photo ops at the Olympics. Perhaps that’s why they walked away from a meeting or perhaps they were never sincere about sitting down,” Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, said in a statement.

[Breccia]

It's amazing what happens when you blatantly disrespect a country while sitting a few feet from their representative.

[NED funded]

Oh jeez. All that Kim Yo Jong whitewashing was for nothing!

[Endus]

It's amazing what happens when you blatantly disrespect a country while sitting a few feet from their representative.

This.

Pence was a rude and condescending piece of shit, and North Korea didn't bend over and ask for more, please. That's seriously the story, here.

It's a sad fucking day when the North Koreans have more class and grace than the American Vice President.

[Ripster42]

This.

Pence was a rude and condescending piece of shit, and North Korea didn't bend over and ask for more, please. That's seriously the story, here.

It's a sad fucking day when the North Koreans have more class and grace than the American Vice President.

Eh. EEEEEHHH. Hard to claim they've got more class when their competitors literally try to trip other people.

[Endus]

Eh. EEEEEHHH. Hard to claim they've got more class when their competitors literally try to trip other people.

I'm not talking about some generic "they" were we talk about an entire nation as a single person.

[Ripster42]

I'm not talking about some generic "they" were we talk about an entire nation as a single person.

Are you really trying to draw a distinction here? Judging the US on the actions of someone who's there to represent the US (pence) and not judging NK on the actions of someone who's there to represent NK (the athlete)? Pence is there to conduct diplomacy, which includes intentional slights as messaging. The athlete is there to compete, which doesn't include the intentional tripping of other athletes.

Edit: I really don't like having to defend pence here. It was shitty diplomacy, but it's not classless. Tripping other athletes in a competition is classless.

[Breccia]

Are you really trying to draw a distinction here?

Yes.

Imagine if the UK was judged by its football hooligans. Football hooligans are not elected representatives of policy and democracy. Pence? Was.

There is a reason we don't have NFL players signing trade agreements, NHL players signing peace treaties, and basketball players acting as diplomatic envoys. Dennis Rodman's opinion on the DMZ has no weight.

[Ripster42]

Yes.

Imagine if the UK was judged by its football hooligans. Football hooligans are not elected representatives of policy and democracy. Pence? Was.

There is a reason we don't have NFL players signing trade agreements, NHL players signing peace treaties, and basketball players acting as diplomatic envoys. Dennis Rodman's opinion on the DMZ has no weight.

Except those football hooligans are fans, not the designated representatives of the country, which olympic athletes are. And again, the qualification being argued here is "class" not "diplomacy," and the claim is that NK has more class. Not saying hi to someone isn't worse on the "class" scale than intentionally tripping other people during competition that's supposedly there to foster goodwill and sportsmanship.

[Machismo]

Not only did he get mocked and dissed by a couple gay men on the national stage, even North Korea doesn't want to meet with him.

[Breccia]

Except those football hooligans are fans, not the designated representatives of the country, which olympic athletes are.

Touche. But still, there is a difference between
a) someone trained from a young age to compete at a sport at the highest level, who happens to also get on the world stage
and
b) someone who was hired/voted for into a job for, amongst other things, representing the country to the point they can sign treaties and other legal agreements.

[PACOX]

NK is playing it exactly as theorized. Make it look like the US isn't willing to be diplomatic as leverage when they speak to SK. Make it look like the US is the biggest threat to peace.

[Deleted]

You guys do realize that this woman is like an mp for propaganda for NK right? She has Goebbels' job. When i see her face all smiles... all i can see are the dozens of people she probably had killed.... but sure...Pence should have kissed her hand.

[Breccia]

but sure...Pence should have kissed her hand.

Pence should have stood for their anthem. Hey, remember what Trump said about people not standing for the anthem? Man, that's hypocrisy.

[Endus]

You guys do realize that this woman is like an mp for propaganda for NK right? She has Goebbels' job. When i see her face all smiles... all i can see are the dozens of people she probably had killed.... but sure...Pence should have kissed her hand.

1> Pence refused to stand for the combined Korean teams, who are playing as a single group. So it was an insult to South Korea, too.
2> Regardless of your views on her, she was here representing North Korea's leadership. With whom diplomatic relations are tense and risking breaking out into conflict, which would put an ally at major risk. Basic decency means you smile and nod to keep the peace, rather than being a pissant like an unruly child having a sulk.