Pence said North Korea's "provocation" was another reminder of the risks that USA and South Korean service members face every day "in the defense of the freedom of the people of South Korea and the defense of America in this part of the world".
The two sides may reaffirm the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system and call on Beijing to stop its economic retaliation against South Korea, observers said.
As Pence lands in South Korea where he would confirm the United States fully commitment to its security alliances, especially in the face of the U.S. evolving security challenges, an American aircraft carrier and other warships would be steaming toward the Korean Peninsula.
Sinpo, where the Sunday launch took place, is the site of a North Korean submarine base and where the North has tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile it is developing. "The type of missile is still being assessed", the U.S. Pacific Command says in an emailed statement. South Korea's foreign ministry strongly condemned the launch.
Despite UN sanctions North Korea launched a long-range rocket and carried out two nuclear tests in 2016, including its most powerful bomb to date.
Chad O'Carroll, managing director of specialist service NK News, said the new rockets could be liquid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missiles, or an early prototype.
Analysts had expected North Korea to conduct a nuclear missile test around the time of his visit, possibly on Saturday as the nation celebrated the 105th birthday of its founder - Kim II Sung, the late grandfather of North Korea's current leader.
North Carolina Edges Gonzaga For NCAA Championship
They Zags and Heels were so out of sorts on offense in the championship game that they were hanging on for dear life on defense. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few spoke about that pivotal no-call late in the game, but refused to place any blame on the officials.
North Korea's failure to launch a missile a day after a massive military parade drew few words from President Donald Trump. A USA aircraft supercarrier is also en route to the Korean Peninsula. The adviser is traveling with Vice President Mike Pence, who arrived in Seoul in the afternoon to start a 10-day trip to Asia.
The US Navy dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson strike group to the region last weekend, and Trump said this week that if China can't rein in North Korea's nuclear program, the United States will.
"Beijing should make clear to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels: if the DPRK in spite of the opposition of the worldwide community (carry out a sixth nuclear test), China should cut off the vast majority of their oil supply and China should support the Security Council to pass new sanctions including this measure", the paper said, referring to North Korea by its official title, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The extended-range Scud missile in that earlier launch suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to US imagery and assessments.
Trump has been leaning on China to put pressure on North Korea, but has also threatened to take on the country alone if necessary.
"It's moving. There are still some things to work out.as in any government decision it may slip a couple of weeks or months", the USA adviser said of THAAD, whose powerful radar China fears could penetrate its territory. There was no mention of the test failure on the KCNA state news agency. China's customs department issued an official order on April 7 telling traders to return North Korean coal cargoes, said three trading sources with direct knowledge of the order.
Company worker Rim Chung Ryol, 30, said he had not heard of the test.
Comments