South Korea propose joint ice hockey team with North Korea
January 15, 2018
South Korea have proposed marching together with North Korea at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and also forming a joint ice hockey team to compete in the women's bracket, a government minister said on Friday.
The proposal was made during Tuesday's inter-Korean talks, where North Korea confirmed it would attend the Pyeongchang Olympics following months of tensions over its nuclear weapons program.
"We made various proposals including the fielding of a joint women's ice hockey team and a joint march into the Olympic stadium," South Korea's vice-sports minister Roh Tae-Kang said, according to Yonhap news agency.
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A joint march at the opening ceremony would be a stunning statement for the "Peace Olympics," which will open about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Korean border on February 9.
North Korea want to send a government delegation, athletes and others to the winter games, which run until February 25. At present, it is unclear which athletes will be selected to represent the East Asian nation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set to decide on North Korea's participation on January 20.
The two Koreas, who are still technically at war, marched together at the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2004 Athens Games and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
North Korea boycotted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, meaning Pyeongchang will be the first Olympics they have attended in the South.