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| U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania, June 6. AP |
By Jung Min-ho
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed the Donald Trump administration's decision to ban U.S. embassies from flying rainbow flags during "LGBTQ Pride Month."
Pence told NBC News Tuesday that the U.S. State Department was "right" to reject embassy requests to fly the popular symbol of gay rights in other countries.
"I'm aware that the State Department indicated that on the flagpole of our American embassies, one flag should fly, and that's the American flag. And I support that," Pence said.
His comment comes after the U.S. Embassy in Seoul took down a large rainbow flag from the mission building.
Asked about Trump's Twitter message in support of LGBT people, Pence, who once described himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," said both of them are "proud to be able to serve every American."
"But when it comes to the American flagpole at American embassies and American capitals around the world, having the one American flag fly, I think is the right decision," Pence said.
The practice of flying the rainbow flag by U.S. embassies, which started during the previous Barak Obama administration, now requires top-level approval from the State Department.
