North Korea to attend Olympics in rival South

Only two athletes from the North have qualified for the Games so far, but hundreds of young female North Korean cheerleaders have created a buzz at three previous international sporting events in the South.

The group may stay on a cruise ship in Sokcho, about an hour’s drive from the Olympic venue.

According to South Korean reports any high-level delegation accompanying the team could include Kim’s younger sister Yo-Jong, who is a senior member of the ruling Workers’ Party.

– Beyond the Games –
Both sides expressed the desire to address wider questions than the Games. But Pyongyang has snubbed previous attempts by Seoul to set up further family reunions, saying it will not do so unless several of its citizens are returned by the South.

“The South and the North agreed to activate cross-border contacts, passages, exchanges and cooperation and to seek national reconciliation and unity in various sectors,” the statement said, without giving details.

And it was unclear when the proposed military talks — which would be the first of their kind since 2014 — would be held.

“The two sides will reach a smooth agreement on Pyeongchang but what happens afterwards?” said Koh Yu-Hwan, a professor at Dongguk University, before the announcement.

“In terms of pending issues regarding the improvement of inter-Korean ties, it won’t be easy to immediately reach an agreement.”

The United States and South Korea agreed last week to delay their joint military exercises until after the Games, apparently to help calm nerves.

Trump said at the weekend he hoped the rare talks between the two Koreas would go “beyond the Olympics” and that Washington could join the process at a later stage.

But US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said there was “no turnaround” in the US stance: that the North must stop nuclear tests for talks with Washington.