North Korea to send delegation to Winter Olympics in South Korea

Delegations from North and South Korea shared proposals this morning at their first formal meeting in more than two years at the border village of Panmunjom in the inter-Korean demilitarized zone.Dressed in a suit, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon shook hands with North Korean delegation chief Ri Son-gwon at the building's entrance and again at the negotiating table.

In addition to sending athletes, North Korea has also proposed sending a high-level delegation, cheerleaders, animators, performers and a taekwondo demonstration team to the Winter Olympics,AFPquoted South Korean Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung as saying.

Meanwhile,Seoul has called for resuming reunions of families separated by the Korean War (1950-1953) on the occasion of Lunar New Year, which coincides with the Olympics. South Korea has also proposed that the two sides march together at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, as well as holding Red Cross and military talks to prevent "unexpected conflicts."

The last time the two countries marched together under the Korean Peninsula flag was more than 10 years ago, at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

"Let's give our people a precious New Year's gift," said Mr. Ri, the head of the North Korean delegation. "There is a saying that a journey of two is longer than a journey of one alone."

The atmosphere of the meeting was friendlier than previous meetings, and Mr Cho told Mr Ri that Seoul believed “guests from North Korea will join many other guests from around the world” at the Olympics. “The people are very eager to see North and South Korea move towards peace and reconciliation,” he said.

The mood was a far cry from the rhetoric of recent months, in which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump traded personal attacks and threats of war. North Korea has tested missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

Seoul wants to call the Games in the town of Pyeongchang, just 80km from the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the "Peace Olympics", but needs Pyongyang to participate for that description to make sense.

In his New Year's speech, Mr Kim suggested that North Korea might participate in the Olympics, and Seoul responded with an offer of high-level dialogue. Last week, a hotline between the two countries was restored after being suspended for nearly two years.

Issues that need to be clarified now include whether the two countries' delegations will enter together for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, the number of people in the North Korean delegation and their whereabouts.

North Korea has only two athletes qualified for the Games, but hundreds of cheerleaders have made a splash at three previous Games in South Korea. The group could be on a cruise ship in Sokcho, about an hour’s drive from the Games, allowing for close monitoring and control of their movements.

The high-level delegation accompanying the team may include Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un and a senior member of the Workers' Party of Korea.