On behalf of the President of the United States, when I visited the DMZ yesterday and met with Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, my message to the people of South Korea was this: the United States of America is with you 100 percent. Even in these troubled times, we stand with you for a free and secure future.
The alliance between South Korea and the United States is the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and indeed throughout the Asia Pacific.
I was proud to stand shoulder-should with American and South Korean troops at DMZ, and I reaffirmed that under President Donald Trump, our resolved is undeterred.
Vice President Pence and his family look out at North Korea
We commend the brave servicemen and women for their vigilance here along this historic frontier of freedom, and we expressed the commitment of the American people to stand together in the months and years ahead with the people of South Korea to both preserve their freedom, and ensure the objective of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
Vice President Mike Pence commends the brave servicemen and women for their vigilance here along this historic frontier of freedom
After my visit to the DMZ, Acting President Hwang and I met and held a joint press conference where I again reiterated the President's and the American people's ironclad and immutable commitment to South Korea.
Vice President Mike Pence with Acting President Hwang
Under President Trump's leadership, our alliance will even be stronger, our nations will be safer, and the Asia Pacific will be more secure.
Finally, to end the evening, Karen and I visited with dedicated embassy staff members and their families. The team at the U.S. Embassy Seoul does great work for the United States.