The two Koreas are discussing details of their joint cultural event, which they agreed to hold at North Korea’s Kumkangsan ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Wednesday. 

The news comes amid a South Korean delegation’s trip to North Korea to examine the suitability of North Korean venues suggested for joint cultural and sports events.

Among the delegation there are personnel taking part in organizing the joint event, including officials from the South’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Unification Ministry spokesperson Baik Tae-hyun during a regular press briefing Wednesday.

A 12-member delegation led by Lee Joo-tae, director-general for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation at the Ministry of Unification, crossed the border to North Korea early Tuesday.

Baik added that the team has been discussing relevant matters with officials from the North Korean Culture Ministry, such as the cast, content and overall structure of the performance.

Kim Young-jun, the new CEO of the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency and a K-pop expert, is also a member of the advance team. His participation has heightened expectations of K-pop elements being incorporated or featured in the joint performance.

K-pop artists such as Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L performed in Pyongyang in 1999, while Baby Vox and Shinhwa performed there in 2003.

Upon its arrival, the advance team looked at a performance hall and other facilities necessary for a joint performance at the Kumkangsan resort, before heading off to the Masikryong Ski Resort.

The Kumgangsan Culture Center, also known as the Onjonggak Culture Center, is a likely venue for the performance. It was jointly built in 1999, with South Korean conglomerate Hyundai in charge of construction and reportedly investing 46 billion won ($43 million) in the project.

The family reunion center nearby, which was also jointly completed in 2008 to house 1,000 people, is another candidate. The venue has remained dormant since the last reunion of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War in October 2015.

The center was a famous stop in the now-suspended cross-border tour program to the mountain, where tourists could enjoy shows featuring North Korean performance teams, including acrobatics. Tours to the Kumkangsan resort were halted in 2008 following an incident in which a North Korean soldier fatally shot a South Korean tourist.

North Korea has frozen all South Korean assets left in the area, following the suspension.

Baik said the current situation is not appropriate to bring up discussions on whether the South should receive permission from the North for use of the facilities.

The delegation also focused on examining ski slopes and Kalma Airport, a military airfield that could be used to transport South Korean ski trainees to Masikryong.

They examined the overall condition of slopes and whether they are suitable for both alpine and cross-country skiing. North Korea said it would compete in both events.

There is high possibility that members of both nations’ youth national teams will participate in the joint training, instead of athletes competing in the Winter Games.

But the North’s luxury ski resort has stirred controversy here, with media reports saying that forced labor, involving both adults and children, is used to run the facility.

Meanwhile, the two Koreas agreed that the North’s art troupe performances will be held at Gangneung Arts Center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province on Feb. 8 and the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Feb. 11.

The move came after the North’s delegation, led by Hyon Song-wol, head of the Samjiyon Orchestra, wrapped-up a two-day trip here Monday. They inspected candidate venues for performances.

The South Korean delegation will return home Thursday afternoon.

A visit by a separate North Korean inspection team, including athletes joining the joint women’s hockey team, is also scheduled for Thursday.

By Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)