Tensions are rising as North Korea continues its attempted shows of provocation and the United States ramps up its effort to deal with Pyongyang. The White House, including the president himself, is sending public signals that stopping North Korea from having a deliverable nuclear weapon is a top priority for the administration.
The most obvious sign of that is Vice President Mike Pence’s surprise visit on Monday to the Joint Security Area in the demilitarized zone between divided Korea. Pence is the third Trump administration Cabinet member to visit the DMZ, after defense secretary James Mattis and secretary of state Rex Tillerson did so separately earlier this year. The vice president has just begun a 10-day swing through the Pacific region, and after South Korea he will stop in Japan, Indonesia, and Australia.
