[Newsmaker] 5 things to know about US Vice President Mike Pence

US Vice President Mike Pence has embarked on a 10-day, four nation tour of the Asia-Pacific region, arriving in South Korea on Sunday amid tensions over North Korea’s aggressive flaunting of its nuclear and missile program.

Pence will also visit Japan, Indonesia and Australia during his trip, meeting with leaders in the region, military troops and business groups. It is Pence’s second foreign trip as vice president. He traveled to Germany and Belgium in February to meet with NATO and European Union officials.

Here are five things you should know about President Donald Trump’s No. 2 at the start of his visit.

On message:

If Trump is known for his unpredictability and blunt talk, Pence projects a polite Midwestern humility and is more measured in his speeches, rarely going off-script.

Pence’s first foreign trip to Europe included steady assurances that the US would honor its commitment to NATO, even after Trump had said the military alliance was “obsolete.” The Republican has doggedly pursued an agreement in Congress to repeal and replace the so-called “Obamacare” health care law, but lawmakers have failed to cut a deal. The vice president was initially out of the loop when former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contacts with Russia emerged at the start of the administration, though Flynn had denied those conversations. Pence said he was “disappointed” in Flynn and supported Trump’s decision to fire him.


Indiana roots:

Pence is a former Indiana governor and congressman. He was a prominent conservative member of Congress during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, frequently championing anti-abortion causes and reducing federal spending. He opposed Bush’s White House on education and prescription drug plans, arguing that the administration had veered from its conservative principles.

He unsuccessfully challenged future House Speaker John Boehner in a leadership election, but joined the House Republicans’ leadership team two years later. Elected Indiana’s governor in 2012, Pence signed a controversial “religious freedom” bill in 2015 that critics said allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians by allowing them to cite religious beliefs as a reason for denying services. After facing backlash from corporations, Pence softened the law, which had been criticized as discriminatory.


Asia ties:

Mike Pence’s late father, Edward Pence, served in the US Army during the Korean War and was awarded the Bronze Star on April 15, 1953.

The vice president displays in his office his father’s Bronze Star, accommodation letter and a photograph of his father receiving his pin. Indiana has a significant Japanese manufacturing hub and

Pence conducted two trade missions to Japan while serving as governor. Toyota, Subaru and Honda all have manufacturing plants in Indiana, and Japanese companies employ tens of thousands of workers in the state. Honda’s plant in Greensburg, Indiana, is near Pence’s hometown of Columbus, Indiana, near Indianapolis. Pence will be making his first visits to South Korea, Indonesia and Australia.


Faith and family:

Pence often describes himself as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Pence and his wife, Karen, a former elementary school teacher, have been married since 1985 and have three adult children.

Their son, Michael, is serving as an officer in the US Marines. Their two daughters, Charlotte, a recent college graduate and filmmaker, and Audrey, a college senior, are traveling to Asia with their parents. Pence often speaks of his Christian faith and has participated in Bible study groups in Congress. One of the first activities on his itinerary in South Korea was to attend Easter services with US and South Korean troops and their families.


Talk radio, art therapy:

Before serving in Congress, Pence was a conservative radio and television talk show host in Indiana during the 1990s. His shows were not known for the combative style that marked conservative radio talk shows during the era. Pence liked to call himself “Rush Limbaugh on decaf.” Karen Pence is a longtime advocate of art therapy, the use of art in mental health treatment and forms of rehabilitation. She will be attending art therapy events throughout the trip. (AP)