Pence arrives in ROK after North Korean missile test fails

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The President's National Security Adviser General HR McMaster said all options are on the table for dealing with North Korea.

He called for the need for "seamless cooperation and coordination" between the two allies and also said he appreciated the United States for "taking a clear position on China's unfair actions with regard to the deployment of Thaad", adding they agreed to work together so that such retaliation can "end at an early date".

McMaster said various U.S. military and intelligence agencies are working on providing options to "have them ready" for Trump "if this pattern of destabilizing behavior continues".

The US vice president's three-day visit to South Korea began on Sunday. But at the same time, McMaster said on "This Week" on ABC, "it's time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully".

In a trip full of Cold War symbolism, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South Korea with its nuclear ambitions, "the era of strategic patience is over".

On Sunday night, ahead of Pence's arrival to South Korea, Pyongyang appeared to have carried out an unsuccessful missile launch.

A White House foreign policy adviser traveling with Pence said no USA response to the missile launch was expected because there was no need for the U.S.to reinforce the failure. In February 2012, the United States and North Korea announced an agreement in which the North would suspend operations of its Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, allow global inspectors to verify the suspension, and implement moratoriums on nuclear and long-range missile tests. He also met with American troops stationed at the joint U.S.

North Korea's attempt to launch a test missile is concerning and United Kingdom officials are closely monitoring the situation, the Foreign Office has said.

As a U.S. aircraft carrier entered the region as an apparent warning from President Trump, North Korea was attempting to flex its military muscles around the anniversary of the birth its founder.

Mike Pence landed in the South Korea capital Seoul shortly after North Korea attempted a missile launch from the coastal city of Sinpo on Sunday morning.

North Korean medium-range missile test fails, USA says
Earlier in the day, Pence visited the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ), which he described as the "frontier of freedom". The medium-range missile blew up nearly immediately following the launch early on Sunday, according to U.S. military.

On Tuesday, Pence was set to deliver a speech at a meeting hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

The US, which has moved an aircraft carrier and several other warships towards the Korean peninsula, has previously warned its policy of strategic patience with North Korea is over.

The missile exploded nearly immediately after take-off, just hours before Mr Pence arrived in South Korea.

Chinese authorities earlier this year ordered travel agencies to halt selling package tours to South Korea in retaliation for the deployment of the US -led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, anti-missile system. While some reports claimed that North Korea deliberately set the test to fail, other analysts said it could be a sign that the U.S. cyber warfare against North Korea is working effectively.

"North Korea showing a variety of offensive missiles at yesterday's military parade and daring to fire a ballistic missile today is a show of force that threatens the whole world", the statement read.

More directly on North Korea, the president returned to a theme of placing much onus on China for reining in the North.

Always high animosity has risen on the Korean Peninsula in recent months, as the United States and South Korea conduct annual war games that North Korea claims are invasion preparation and the North prepared for Saturday's anniversary celebrations.

Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on five occasions, two of which in 2016.

"Japan will closely cooperate with the US and South Korea over North Korea and will call for China to take a bigger role", Abe told parliament.

"The Trump administration, which made a surprise cruise guided missile strike at Syria on April 6, has entered the path of open threat and blackmail against (North Korea)", a spokesman for the Korean People's Army said according to state news agency KCNA.

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