South Korea's presidential office on Sunday welcomed the International Olympic Committee's approval of North Korean athletes' participation in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The IOC said Saturday that North Korea will be allowed to send 22 athletes to compete in three sports at the games after a meeting with representatives from the two Koreas in Lausanne, Switzerland.

They include 12 North Korean players to join the South Korean women's hockey squad to establish the first joint Olympic team between the two countries.

The presidential office praised the formation of the unified team as laying an important ground for peace between the two Koreas.

"Forging a unified team is an essential step in the process of having North Korea take part in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics," an official from the presidential office said.

South Korea will make efforts to have Pyongyang maintain the reconciliatory attitude even after the games.

In the face of criticism that forming a joint team is disadvantageous to South Korean athletes because they would have fewer chances to play, the government has been emphasizing that the move will rather pave the way for a possible reconciliation of the two Koreas.

Last week, President Moon Jae-in visited the National Training Center in Jincheon, located 90 kilometers south of Seoul, and said a joint team would contribute to making a "better chance" to develop the inter-Korean relationship.

The Winter Olympics will be held from Feb. 9-25 in PyeongChang, located 180 kilometers east of Seoul, together with sub-host cities of Gangneung and Jeongseon. (Yonhap)