The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has notified South Korea of its plan to send a high-ranking delegation to the closing ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics, Seoul’s unification ministry said Thursday.
The high-ranking DPRK delegation, led by Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, will make a three-day visit to South Korea beginning Sunday when the closing ceremony is scheduled to be held in South Korea’s eastern county of PyeongChang.
Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, will accompany Kim as a delegate together with six support staff, according to the notification delivered by the DPRK earlier in the day.
The DPRK delegation will cross the inter-Korean land border in the western region to attend the closing ceremony of the South Korea-hosted winter sports event, which kicked off on Feb. 9.
The unification ministry said in a statement that the DPRK’s dispatch of its high-level delegation would help advance the process of settling peace on the Korean Peninsula, including improved inter-Korean ties and denuclearization.
For the Feb. 9 opening ceremony, the DPRK dispatched a senior-level delegation, including Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
During her three-day stay in South Korea, the younger Kim met and lunched with President Moon Jae-in at Moon’s presidential compound in Seoul, delivering the DPRK leader’s invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang at a convenient time.
In response, Moon said the two Koreas should create conditions to make it happen, asking the DPRK to more actively talk with the United States.
