Two Koreas to march together in Olympics
North Korea agreed to send a delegation, athletes and cheering squad to the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the first high-level talks with the South in almost two years held at the border village of Panmunjeom, Tuesday.
“Representatives from the North expressed their intention to send delegates to PyeongChang and also agreed about the joint entrance of South and North Korean athletes in the opening and closing ceremonies,” Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung said, citing the draft of a joint press statement.
“The delegates of the two Koreas agreed to make the PyeongChang Olympics an opportunity to restore strained relations between the states,” he said.
Pyongyang’s response came after Seoul’s delegates led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon proposed a delegation and cheering squad be dispatched, as well as the joint entry of athletes under a unified Korean flag.
Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country Chairman Ri Son-gwon led the delegation from Pyongyang. Four more delegates represented each party, including senior sports officials.
The parties began talks at the shared border village of Panmunjeom in the demilitarized zone at 10 a.m.
The meeting kicked off on a hopeful note, with positive opening statements from both sides.
“The talks have begun amid a severance of ties between the North and South, but we hope that the talks will be led with willingness and perseverance with the thought that ‘well begun is half done,'” Cho said.
“We are thinking of offering the people their first gift of the New Year, an invaluable result (of the talks), by North and South Korea engaging with seriousness and sincerity,” Ri said.
Seoul’s delegates also proposed Red Cross talks to enable the reunion of family members separated by the Korean War (1950-1953) during the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
The Moon administration proposed Red Cross talks last July, but Pyongyang did not respond. The last separated family reunion took place in October 2015.
Delegates from Seoul also requested the resumption of military talks as well as negotiations on denuclearization, the vice minister said.
North Korea responded by saying that the two Koreas should make efforts to promote peace and reconciliation via negotiations, he said.
The talks come two years since the last ones were held in December 2015 and are the first to take place since the liberal President Moon Jae-in took office last May.
The meeting was held after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in his New Year speech last week that he was open to dialogue with the South and was willing to send a delegation to the Olympics.
President Moon welcomed Kim’s olive branch, inviting Pyongyang to the talks, which was accepted Friday.
The invitation came after Seoul and Washington agreed to push back their military drills until after the Olympics, which will take place from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25.
Tension has eased in the New Year after a series of provocations by the North last year _ including a testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles in November and a sixth nuclear test in September.
President Moon, who supports a policy of engagement and reconciliation with Pyongyang, had expressed hopes that participation in the Olympics would thaw relations with Seoul.