Pence lands at Korean DMZ day after North Korea's failed missile testReuters, Apr 16, 2017, By Roberta Rampton and Lucia Mutikani | CAMP BONIFAS, South Korea/WASHINGTON
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, pledging an "unshakeable" commitment to South Korea, landed at a U.S. military base next to the demilitarized border with North Korea, a day after a failed missile launch by the North.
Pence flew to South Korea on the first stop of a four-nation Asia tour intended to show America's allies - and remind its adversaries - that the Trump administration is not turning its back on the increasingly volatile region.
The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a heavily mined, four-km-wide (2.5-mile-wide) strip of land lined with barbed wire running across the Korean peninsula, with soldiers on both sides in a continual eyeball-to-eyeball standoff.
Pence, whose father served in the 1950-53 Korean War, said he was humbled to be at the DMZ and hailed the alliance with South Korea.
"It is a testament to the unshakeable bond between our people," he said.
The United States, its allies and China are working together on a range of responses to North Korea's latest failed ballistic missile test, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser said on Sunday, citing what he called an international consensus to act.
H.R. McMaster indicated that Trump was not considering military action for now, even as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier strike group was heading for the region.
"It's time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully," he said on ABC's "This Week" program. "We are working together with our allies and partners and with the Chinese leadership to develop a range of options."
"There is an international consensus now, including the Chinese leadership, that this is a situation that just cannot continue," McMaster said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-missile-idUSKBN17H0NL
