US accuses DPRK of insincerity in addressing crisis

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US vice president's office said on Tuesday the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) canceled a planned meeting with VP Mike Pence at the last minute on the sideline of Winter Olympics in PyeongChang this month, accusing it was "never sincere" about talks.

US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Nick Ayers said the vice president was scheduled to meet officials including Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Jo Yong and the ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam on February 10.

"North Korea (DPRK) dangled a meeting in hopes of the Vice President softening his message, which would have ceded the world stage for their propaganda during the Olympics," Ayers said.

US Vice President Mike Pence and DPRK's delegates Kim Jo Yong, Kim Jong Un's sister and the ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam attend the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Games at PyeongChang on Feb. 9, 2018. /VCG Photo

But after Pence criticized the country's human rights abuses and announced plans for new economic sanctions, "they walked away from a meeting or perhaps they were never sincere about sitting down," he said.

The encounter would have been the first scheduled between senior officials from the Trump administration and Pyongyang, which are in a standoff over the DPRK's development of nuclear weapons capable of hitting the United States.

There was no interaction – nor did handshakes – between Pence and the DPRK's high-profile delegates, even though they sat close at the VIP seating section at the Olympics opening.

US Vice President Mike Pence signs a guestbook as his wife Karen Pence and Kang Kyung-wha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea look on following the meeting with President Moon Jae-in in Seoul, Feb. 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

While Pence announced to impose the "toughest and most aggressive" sanctions against Pyongyang, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in was invited to visit the DPRK.

South Korea has also been floating the idea of co-hosting 2021 Asian Winter Games with the DPRK, which a DPRK official said might be possible, according to Yonhap news agency.

(With inputs from Reuters and Yonhap)