On February 1 , 2018 , it was announced that Pence would lead the presidential delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics , alongside his wife . Much of Pence 's time at PyeongChang was affected by the ongoing North Korean crisis . Prior to the opening ceremony , on February 9 , Pence skipped on a dinner held by South Korean president Moon Jae-in , as he would have shared a table with North Korea 's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam . Instead , he met with four North Korean defectors in Pyeongtaek , alongside his special guest , Fred Warmbier ( the father of Otto Warmbier , who was arrested in North Korea for attempted theft , and sentenced to 15 years ' imprisonment , before returning to the U.S. in a comatose state ) . At the ceremony , the Pences were seated in front of the North Korean delegates , and when North and South Korean athletes entered during the Parade of Athletes , they chose to stay seated , which prompted critics to accuse Pence of hypocrisy in regards to the NFL protests . Pence was supposed to meet with the North Koreans on February 10 , but they pulled out at the last minute
opening ceremony
2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
Mike Pence