Seoul, South Korea (CNN) US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday warned North Korea not to test the resolve of the US "or the strength of our military forces," following a failed North Korean missile test .

Speaking in Seoul, Pence linked recent US military strikes in Syria and Afghanistan with the situation in Korea, saying they showed the "strength and resolve of our new president."

"We will defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response," Pence said, adding that when it came to North Korea "all options are on the table."

Tensions on the peninsula have ratcheted up in recent weeks, amid tit-for-tat saber-rattling from the US and North Korea and analysts' warnings that North Korea was preparing for a sixth nuclear test

Amid concerns the US might launch a preemptive strike on North Korea, Pence said Washington would "closely consult" with Seoul "as we make decisions moving forward."

American President Jimmy Carter waves to a crowd of military that greeted him on his arrival to Camp Casey, just south of the DMZ, on June 29, 1979 in South Korea. Carter planned on spending the night at the camp before returning to Seoul for two days of talk with Korean President Park Chung Hee.

Jimmy Carter at the DMZ – American President Jimmy Carter waves to a crowd of military that greeted him on his arrival to Camp Casey, just south of the DMZ, on June 29, 1979 in South Korea. Carter planned on spending the night at the camp before returning to Seoul for two days of talk with Korean President Park Chung Hee.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US President Ronald Reagan looks across the DMZ at Guard Post Collier, South Korea, on November 13, 1982.

Ronald Reagan at the DMZ – US President Ronald Reagan looks across the DMZ at Guard Post Collier, South Korea, on November 13, 1982.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US President Bill Clinton surveys the North Korean border on his tour of the DMZ during a post-G7 summit trip in July 1993.

Bill Clinton at the DMZ – US President Bill Clinton surveys the North Korean border on his tour of the DMZ during a post-G7 summit trip in July 1993.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US President George W. Bush looks at North Korea from Observation Point Ouellette in the DMZ on Feb. 20, 2002. The president visited the zone to express his hope for communist North Korea to rejoin democratic South Korea someday.

George W. Bush at the DMZ – US President George W. Bush looks at North Korea from Observation Point Ouellette in the DMZ on Feb. 20, 2002. The president visited the zone to express his hope for communist North Korea to rejoin democratic South Korea someday.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US Vice President Joe Biden and his granddaughter Finnegan Biden visit the DMZ on December 7, 2013. In addition to South Korea, Biden also visited Japan and China to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the South China Sea, economic relationship with China and the implementation of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Joe Biden at the DMZ – US Vice President Joe Biden and his granddaughter Finnegan Biden visit the DMZ on December 7, 2013. In addition to South Korea, Biden also visited Japan and China to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the South China Sea, economic relationship with China and the implementation of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US President Barack Obama looks toward North Korea from Observation Post Ouellette during a visit to the DMZ on March 25, 2012. Obama arrived in Seoul earlier in the day to attend the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

Barack Obama at the DMZ – US President Barack Obama looks toward North Korea from Observation Post Ouellette during a visit to the DMZ on March 25, 2012. Obama arrived in Seoul earlier in the day to attend the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

US Vice President Mike Pence looks at North Korea from the border village of Panmunjom on April 17, 2017. Pence visited a military base near the Demilitarized Zone, a day after the North conducted a failed missile launch. Pence arrived at Camp Bonifas on Monday for a briefing with military leaders and to meet with American troops. He is in South Korea as part of a 10-day tour of Asia.

Mike Pence at the DMZ – US Vice President Mike Pence looks at North Korea from the border village of Panmunjom on April 17, 2017. Pence visited a military base near the Demilitarized Zone, a day after the North conducted a failed missile launch. Pence arrived at Camp Bonifas on Monday for a briefing with military leaders and to meet with American troops. He is in South Korea as part of a 10-day tour of Asia.

Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Photos: Presidents and Vice Presidents at the DMZ

Tense border

Earlier in the day, Pence visited the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ), which he described as the "frontier of freedom."

The DMZ is the highly-fortified de facto border between North and South Korea. It's four kilometers (2.5 miles) wide, stretches 250 kilometers (160 miles) and is dotted with military guard posts, mines and defensive structures.

It was established by the 1953 armistice agreement which ended the Korean War, though both sides technically remain at conflict as no peace treaty has ever been signed.

At the Panmunjom Joint Security Area, which Pence visited Monday, North and South Korean soldiers stand watch feet away from each other, the only place where the two forces come face to face.

Blue huts straddle the border, where tense negotiations have been held between the North, South and the US since armistice.

US options on North Korea

Echoing the remarks of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on North Korea last month , Pence said the "era of strategic patience is over."

The US has leaned on China -- North Korea's main ally -- to apply pressure on Pyongyang to curtail its nuclear ambitions.

At the same it's increased its military footprint in the region by deploying a naval carrier strike group to waters off the Korean Peninsula.

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US President Donald Trump held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month, and has praised China's turning back of North Korean coal ships as a "big step" forward in the effort to enlist Chinese pressure on Pyongyang.

Pence said Monday Trump was "very hopeful that China will take actions to bring about a change of policy in North Korea," but added later that Washington was "troubled by China's economic retaliation against South Korea (for) taking appropriate measures to defend itself" by deploying the US THAAD missile defense system.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang said Monday that Beijing's policy was "clear for all to see when it comes to promoting the denuclearization of the peninsula."

Lu said that prior to the THAAD deployment, relations between Beijing and Seoul were strong and "China didn't cause the current problem in bilateral ties."

Speaking Sunday, US national security adviser H. R. McMaster said the US hopes not to use military force but warned " this problem is coming to a head ."

McMaster said various US military and intelligence agencies are working on providing options to "have them ready" for Trump "if this pattern of destabilizing behavior continues."

On Friday, North Korea said the dangerous security situation was due to the "Trump administration's reckless military provocation."

"The Trump administration, which made a surprise cruise guided missile strike at Syria on April 6, has entered the path of open threat and blackmail against (North Korea)," a spokesman for the Korean People's Army said according to state news agency KCNA.

Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves during a military parade on Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Pyongyang to celebrate the 105th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Soldiers in tanks take part in the military parade. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade North Korean soldiers carry flags and a photo of late leader Kim Il Sung as they march across Kim Il Sung Square. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Female North Korean soldiers march during the parade. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Missiles are paraded across Kim Il Sung Square. Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade A rocket-themed float makes its way through Kim Il-Sung square. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Soldiers salute while the national anthem is played during the parade. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Women wearing traditional Korean dress wave flowers and shout slogans as they pass North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade A submarine-launched ballistic missile is displayed during the parade. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade A soldier stands guard at the Kim Il Sung Square. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Korean citizens spell out "Day of the Sun" in Kim Il Sung Square. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade University students carry the national flag and two bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Helmeted servicemen march during the parade. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Korean People's Army soldiers march on Kim Il-Sung square. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade North Korean men and women dressed to represent doctors and other medical workers during the parade. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade Members of the Korean People's Army ride on mobile missile launchers. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: North Korea Day of the Sun parade North Korean men beat drums as they parade across the square. Hide Caption 17 of 17

Uncertainty

Pence's visit to South Korea comes as the country prepares for an election next month following the ouster of President Park Geun-hye

Speaking alongside acting-President Hwang Kyo-ahn in Seoul, Pence commended him for his "steady hand in this time of transition in South Korea."

"Whatever change happens in your elections the commitment of the US to South Korea's safety and security will remain unchanged," Pence said. "We are with you 100%."

The election is expected to see South Korea swing to the left and away from the conservative policies of Park's party.

The left-wing Democratic United Party has been critical of the deployment of THAAD and called for more engagement with North Korea to prevent further nuclearization.

Jean Lee, a global fellow at the US-based Wilson Center, said the next president "will have a lot of bearing on what kind of policy South Korea develops towards North Korea."

"(The election) could lead to a shift in alliances, shift in policy among South Korea, the US and Japan when it comes to" dealing with Pyongyang, she said.

Show of force

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Pence's visit followed an impressive parade Saturday to mark the "Day of the Sun," the most important day in the North Korean calendar, when Pyongyang showed off an array of new missiles and launchers

Pyongyang paraded two new intercontinental ballistic missile-sized canisters as well as displaying its submarine-launched ballistic missile and a land-based version of the same for the first time, according to analysts.

The regime followed that with an attempted missile test Sunday from the eastern port of Sinpo. If that test leads to a nuclear test or an ICBM launch, there would be "a powerful punishing measure that North Korean authority can't endure," South Korean officials said.

US officials told CNN they did not believe the missile had intercontinental capabilities, and blew up almost immediately after launch.