PyeongChang 2018: Vice President Pence to lead U.S. delegation to Winter Showpiece

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence will lead the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February.

A senior White House official, while disclosing this on Wednesday, also revealed that Pence would equally visit Alaska and Japan as part of the trip.

Pence will review ICBM defence systems in Alaska and reaffirm to the leaders of Japan and South Korea that the U.S. is fully committed to stability in the region, the official said.

The Pyeongchang Olympics, which start on Feb. 9, coincide with high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

This was due to North Korean nuclear tests and contentious exchanges between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

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North Korea will also send high-ranking officials, athletes, and a cheering squad to the Olympics, a senior South Korean official said on Tuesday.

The U.S. State Department said at a news conference on Tuesday that there were no current plans for the American delegation to meet with the North Korean delegation.

Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has said he opposed inviting the North Korean delegation to the Games.

“I don’t mind talks with North Korea, but I do have serious concerns about legitimising the most barbaric leader on the planet,” Graham wrote in a post on Twitter on Tuesday.