South and North Korea held their first talks in two years at the truce village of Panmunjeom, Tuesday.




The soured relationship between the divided Koreas took an abrupt turn following the recent New Year’s address by Kim Jong-un, where the North’s leader said he was willing to hold talks with the South for participation in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Games.

Cho Myoung-gyon, the South’s Unification Minister, met with his counterpart Ri Son-gwon, the chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, where the two discussed sports and peace across the border.

 


Ri was flanked by Jon Jong-su, vice chairman of the CPRC, Hwang Chung-song, director of the CPRC, Won Kil-u, vice minister of physical culture and sports, and Ri Kyong-sik, a member of the National Olympic Committee of North Korea.

At the talks, North Korea offered to send a high-level delegation and performing arts squads to next month’s PyeongChang Olympics, while the South proposed the joint entrance of the two countries’ athletes to the opening and closing ceremonies.


 



By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)