US Vice-President Mike Pence threatened on Wednesday to slap the toughest US sanctions ever against North Korea during a visit to Japan.
“I’m announcing today that the United States of America will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever,” he said in joint remarks delivered with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. “We will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile program once and for all.”
Pence, however, didn’t specify what the new sanctions would be.
Abe, in his remarks, said that he and Pence confirmed on Wednesday that Japan would continue to apply “maximum pressure” on North Korea, in cooperation with Seoul, to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
“We confirmed the necessity of using every possible means to increase pressure as much as possible through coordination between Japan and the United States, and between Japan, the United States and South Korea, to make North Korea change its policies,” Abe said.
Pence is on an Asian tour that will end with him attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea on February 9.
Mike Pence is not only crashing the Pyeongchang Olympics (or the "Peace Olympics") but he’s trying to kill the spriit of the games. Shame on you, Mr Pence (and Donald J. Trump)! Are you Americans afraid that the Games will turn out to be great and may lead to actual reduction of tensions in the Korean Peninsula!
How much for crippling, self-serving sanctions are you going to seek to impose against North Korean, Mr Pence and Mr Trump?
Go ahead, produce and amass more nuclear weapons, because no one can stop the Giant America from doing so. There’s no need to use Russia as your boogeyman to amass more nuclear weapons, Mr Trump and Mr Pence.
Sanctions should be used sparingly and taking into consideration the innocent human toll that it causes. Using sanctions harshly and often America loses our moral standing, without which we have little say around the world.
Wealth and power become poison when it is used to kill innocent people. America cannot afford that.