*US TIGHTENS SANCTIONS*

US to unveil ''toughest sanctions ever'' against North Korea.

TOKYO : Washington will soon unveils its ''toughest sanctions ever'' on North Korea, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday, adding that the-

Pyongyang regime would not be allowed to ''hijack'' the upcoming Olympics.

Speaking in Japan before attending the opening ceremony of Winter Games in South Korea, Pence pledged to that Washington would ''intensify its maximum pressure campaign'' on the North, working with Tokyo.

''I'm announcing today that the United States will soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever,'' he said without giving further details.

Pence's three-day visit to Japan came as Washington seeks to bolster ties with its allies in the region and maintain pressure on the regime in Pyongyang despite a recent thaw on the peninsula.

''ALL OPTIONS are on the table and the US has deployed some of our most advanced military assets to Japan and the wider region to protect our homeland and our allies and we will continue to,'' Pence vowed.

[AFP]