Did Rex Tillerson's Fatigue Keep Secretary Of State Away From Dinner With South Korean President?

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended the first leg of his maiden four-day trip to Asia on a controversial note after he cut short his meetings and other public appointment Friday in Seoul. One of those appointments was a dinner with Hwang Kyo-ahn, the acting president of South Korea, and Yun Byung-se, the country’s foreign minister.

According to a local newspaper, the Korea Herald, Tillerson's made the decision because he was too tired to attend the dinner.

"Tillerson’s shortened diplomatic consultations and public events in Seoul spawned a flurry of speculation given a leadership vacuum and political uncertainties. A joint news conference aside, Tillerson spent almost 2 1/2 hours with Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida including a dinner, and another hour with Prime Minister Abe. But his meetings with Yun and Hwang were each confined to about an hour, without a lunch or dinner gathering. Seoul officials said the US side opted not to have a meal together, citing the secretary’s 'fatigue'," the Korea Herald reported.

Read: Rex Tillerson Starting New US Foreign Policy In His Maiden Asia Trip

But, the State Department reportedly denied any tiredness on the part of Tillerson.

At Friday's joint conference with Yun, Tillerson said that diplomatic and other efforts to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program over the last 20 years had failed, and that the Trump administration will now take a stronger approach, the Guardian reported.

Tillerson warned of a nuclear war with North Korea and declared that the existing “strategic patience” approach is over. "Efforts for North Korea to achieve a peaceful stability for the last two decades have failed to make us safe,” the secretary said.

Trump tweeted Friday about how China "has done little to help" over resolving the situation with North Korea.

Tillerson will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing in the final leg of his East Asia tour Saturday, BBC reported.

Shortly after the reports of Tillerson's fatigue appeared, people mocked him in social media for his stamina.

No American media was allowed on Tillerson's four-day visit to Asia. Hence, updates of the status of negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea fell on the latter's press.