IOC says North Korea to have 22 athletes in 5 Olympic sports
- by Leona Burton
- in World Media
- — Jan 21, 2018
The North Korean officials are scheduled to spend two days inspecting art centres in Gangneung city, which will also host several of the Olympic events.
The trip came amid brisk inter-Korean cooperation on the North's participation in the Olympic Games to open in three weeks. South Korean officials have wanted to ensure that Ms. Hyon's artists keep political propaganda out of their performances in the South.
South Korea has welcomed confirmation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that 22 North Korean athletes would compete in next month's Winter Olympics, and said it will aid peace and the easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula.
North Koreans will also compete in figure skating, short track speedskating, Alpine skiing and cross-country skiing after being given exceptional late entries by the International Olympic Committee.
More news: Donald Trump declares his supporters 'deplorables,' gets destroyed on TwitterThe current mood of reconciliation between the Koreas flared after Kim abruptly expressed his willingness to improve ties and send a delegation to the Olympics during his annual New Year's address. The North criticised the US and other nations for calling its nuclear programme "violations of resolutions".
Head of North Korean delegation Kwon Hyok Bong, center, and Hyon Song Wol, the head of the Moranbong Band, left.
On January 9, Pyongyang and Seoul reached an agreement on the participation of North Korean athletes in the Olympics in South Korea's Pyeongchang due to take place from February 9 to February 25.
No reason was given for the change of plan, the ministry said, and it was not immediately clear whether the visit was permanently cancelled or postponed.
More news: Manchester United set to complete signing of Alexis SanchezThe proposal is a follow-up measure to Wednesday's vice-ministerial meeting, at which the two Koreas agreed to hold the two events ahead of next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
He also confirmed that, for the first time in Olympic history, the two nations will enter a joint women's ice hockey teamunder the name Korea and represented by the unification flag.Of the 22 North Korean athletes, 15 will be women and seven will be men, the IOC said.
The South Korean government has agreed to the visit on Sunday, the ministry said.
She reportedly is a former lover of Kim Jong-un from a relationship abouta decade ago, but his father kKim Jong Il ordered the affair to end.
More news: Congress shuts down the government. Now what?
