US VP Pence skips Olympic dinner: Seoul

Seating plans shown on television had Pence seated directly opposite the North’s Kim Yong Nam at the reception in Pyeongchang.

But a spokesman for the South’s presidential Blue House said he arrived late, “exchanged greetings with those seated at the head table, and left without sitting down”.

Pence had told Seoul in advance that he would be dining with US athletes soon afterwards “so his seat was not prepared accordingly”, the spokesman said.

“He was going to leave immediately after taking the group photo session but President Moon urged him to ‘see friends’ so he dropped by the reception venue briefly.”

Pence did not shake hands with Kim, he added, but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did, exchanging a few words with him.

Seating plans shown on South Korean television just minutes earlier had Pence sitting to Moon’s left, directly opposite Kim.

The North’s representative, its highest-level official ever to visit the South, was placed between Olympics chief Thomas Bach and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Neither Pence nor Abe took part in a group photo of the leaders at the reception, in which Kim stood behind Moon.