Inter-Korean detente edges ahead as DPRK sends senior official to Olympics

PYONGYANG - The efforts for inter-Korean detente took another step forward as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has decided to send a high-level delegation to the opening ceremony of Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, will lead a three-official delegation to the event, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) early Monday.

This will be the first time for the DPRK to send such a high-level delegation to the Republic of Korea (ROK) since 2014.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul began thawing since the top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un announced in his New Year Speech that the DPRK would participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Since then, the two sides have held several rounds of talks on cooperation in the Olympics besides measures to improve relations and de-escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula, and the DPRK would dispatch several teams of artists, cheerleaders and traditional sports demonstrators to the event.

A joint women's ice jockey team has already been set up to compete in the event and ski players have also held joint trainings in the DPRK to prepare for the games late January.

In a highly emotional show, the two teams will enter the stadium Friday holding a flag of white and blue with the figure of the Korean Peninsula at the center, symbolizing national reunification.

The last time the DPRK took part in sports events in the ROK was in 2014 at the Asian Games in Inchon. But the two sides did not make any ritual ceremonies to signify their will of reunification in future that time due to tense relations between Pyongyang and former rightwing ROK President Park Geun-hye.

Since inter-Korean interactions for improving relations were launched last month, the DPRK has repeatedly warned against moves by the United States and conservative forces in the ROK to scuttle the process.

The KCNA has denounced the US President Donald Trump for trying to "sabotage the process of detente" in his State of the Union Address and accused Washington of trying to "turn the Winter Olympics into a theater of confrontation with Pyongyang" by sending US Vice President Mike Pence to the opening ceremony.

Pyongyang has also blamed some ROK conservative media and politicians for throwing cold water on efforts for improving inter-Korean relations with anti-DPRK rhetorics.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang is scheduled to celebrate for the first time the founding day of its armed forces, the Korean People's Army, by holding a military parade in the center of the capital on Thursday, one day ahead of the opening of the Olympics, as the DPRK officially changed its military founding day from Apr 25 to Feb 8 last month.

While some ROK media and personalities have criticized the move as "provocation", the DPRK says it is normal practice for a country to celebrate its army founding day, denying any link with the Olympics.

Baik Tae-hyun, Seoul's unification ministry spokesman, told a press briefing on Friday that the ROK government hails the scheduled visit by the DPRK's high-ranking delegation to the ROK, saying it will provide necessary accommodations and guarantee security during their stay.

The spokesman expressed the ROK's anticipation that the DPRK delegation's visit to the ROK can make the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics a successful "peace Olympic" while restoring inter-Korean relations and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games will take place in Pyeongchang, eastern ROK, on Feb 9-25.