Vice President Mike Pence will work to undermine any North Korean attempt to normalize its regime at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, according to a report.
"The vice president will remind the world that everything the North Koreans do at the Olympics is a charade to cover up the fact that they are the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet," one of Pence's aides told Axios of Pence's role as leader of the White House's delegation to the sporting event.
"We are seeing unprecedented level of international cooperation on the maximum pressure strategy targeting the Kim regime, and the vice president will make clear that this maximum pressure campaign will only intensify," the staffer continued of the rogue nation's dictator, Kim Jong Un.
“North Korea wants to make this about cute photo ops. The vice president is countering North Korea’s desire to control the message. … We’re not going to cede two weeks of world media to North Korea,” another aide said.
The Winter Olympic competition comes as nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have escalated under the Trump administration as a result of the president's bellicose approach to Kim.
Yet, North and South Korea in January embarked on new attempts at diplomatic cooperation with the announcement athletes would form a united team and march together at the opening ceremony on Feb. 9, as well as fresh calls from Pyong Yang for reunification.
The U.S. and South Korea have also agreed to postpone joint military exercises until after the games.
The competition will run from Feb. 9 to 25.
