U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was prepared to hold a historic meeting with top North Korean officials during his visit to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this month but was rebuffed by the North at the last minute, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Observers had anticipated a possible meeting between Pence and North Korean officials, including Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister and close adviser of leader Kim Jong Un. Such an encounter would have been the highest-level interaction between the Trump administration and the Kim regime.
"During the vice president's recent visit to South Korea to demonstrate allied resolve and support American athletes, the possibility arose of a brief meeting with the North Korean delegation leaders," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.