FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “With North Korean soldiers standing less than 100 feet behind him at the Korean Demilitarized Zone [DMZ], Vice President Mike Pence told CNN that Pyongyang should understand that the Trump administration’s approach toward the regime will be different than that of past US presidents.
‘We’re going to abandon the failed policy of strategic patience. But we’re going to redouble our efforts to bring diplomatic and economic pressure to bear on North Korea. Our hope is that we can resolve this issue peaceably,’ Pence said in an exclusive interview at the DMZ.
To achieve this new strategy, the administration is relying heavily on China, a country President Donald Trump spent his entire campaign railing against, but has since stopped as it became clear North Korea would be a top priority requiring China’s help.
‘I know the President was heartened by his discussions with President Xi (Jinping). We’ve seen China begin to take some actions to bring pressure on North Korea but there needs to be more,’ Pence said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a daily briefing Monday that the onus was on all parties — including the US and China — to reach a peaceful solution.”
-Dana Bash and Abigail Crutchfield, “On North Korean border, Pence tells CNN US will drop ‘failed policy’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, April 17, 2017 8:09am