ROK, DPRK to hold working-level talks about DPRK's participation in Winter Paralympics

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold a working-level dialogue next week to discuss the DPRK's participation in the Winter Paralympics, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.

The ROK offered Tuesday to hold the working-level talks, and the DPRK accepted the proposal earlier in the day, according to the unification ministry.

The dialogue will be held from 10 am local time (0100 GMT) on Feb 27 at Tongilgak, a DPRK building in the truce village of Panmunjom, which straddles the two Koreas.

Seoul will send a three-member delegation, led by Lee Joo-tae, director general of the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation bureau at the unification ministry, to the working-level talks.

The Winter Paralympics is scheduled for March 9-18 at the ROK's east county of PyeongChang, where the 23rd Winter Olympics is underway.

The DPRK already sent its athletes and cheerleaders to the ROK-hosted winter sports event. It has notified the ROK of its plan to dispatch a high-ranking delegation to the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

The DPRK delegation will be led by Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea who doubles as the director of the United Front Department in charge of inter-Korean relations.

During the senior-level inter-Korean talks in January, the DPRK agreed to send its athletes, cheerleaders and artists to the Winter Paralympics.

The DPRK's participation in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games helped ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The younger Kim delivered the DPRK leader's invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang at a convenient time.