by president obama. nbc's kelly o'donnell is live in west palm beach with that. kelly, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, craig. the president has talked about the advantages of unpredictability when it comes to foreign policy. today the white house is projecting caution and reassurance when it comes to north korea. kim jong-un's ambitions could pose the greatest challenge to president trump, and today a long-planned trip to asia for mike pence comes at a critical time. today the vice president heads to seoul, south korea, part of a four-country trip. pence intends to deliver a message of unwavering support to the u.s. ally most vulnerable to a nuclear strike. >> really, the president's message and vice president's message is to show support with allies and the fact that we are there with them and confront this threat together. >> while president trump has a new friendship with his