Pence to open Asian trip amid tensions with North Korea

Vice-President Mike Pence is opening his trip to the Asia-Pacific region amid increasing tensions in North Korea over the regime’s nuclear and missile programs. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

WASHINGTON — Vice-President Mike Pence is opening his trip to the Asia-Pacific region amid increasing tensions in North Korea over the regime’s nuclear and missile programs.

Pence is set to arrive Sunday in South Korea as President Donald Trump vows that Kim Jong Un’s government is a “problem” that will be “taken care of.

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The vice-president’s 10-day trip comes as North Korea celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung, which falls on Saturday. It’s North Korea’s most important holiday and a large-scale military parade is expected.

Tensions have been on the rise along the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks over concerns about North Korean aggression.