Taekwondo, Performing Artist, Cheering Squad: North Korea Offers Participation in Winter Olympics

A team of North Korean taekwondo athletes wave hands to audiences at the closing ceremony of the World Taekwondo Championships held in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo taken on June 30, 2017. (Yonhap)

PANMUNJOM, Korea, Jan. 9 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) — North Korea on Tuesday offered to send a high-level delegation and performing arts squads to next month’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics, while the South proposed their athletes’ joint entrance to the games’ opening and closing ceremonies, Seoul officials said.

The two Koreas exchanged their proposals in the morning session of their first official talks in two years at the shared border village of Panmunjom to discuss the North’s participation in the Winter Games and ways to improve ties.

South Korea proposed the two sides march together during the opening and closing ceremonies and the North dispatch a cheering squad for the event.

The South also offered to hold a Red Cross meeting to discuss the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War around the Lunar New Year’s holiday in February, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung told a briefing.

In return, North Korea said that it will send a delegation of high-ranking officials and others, including performing and signing groups and taekwondo demonstration teams, on the occasion of the Winter Games, he added.

Taekwondo hoped to bring two Koreas together in PyeongChang

North Korea on Tuesday offered to send a taekwondo demonstration team, along with athletes and others to next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, shedding light over a possible reconciliation between two Koreas through sports.

During the first official talks between two Koreas in more than two years, Pyongyang said it plans to send a delegation of athletes, cheering and performing art squads as well as its taekwondo demonstration team to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul.

The Games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25, with PyeongChang’s adjacent sub-host cities of Gangneung and Jeongseon hosting ice and alpine skiing events.

Whether North Korea will participate the first Winter Olympics on the Korean Peninsula had remained uncertain until Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong-un expressed his intention through a New Year’s speech.

If South Korea accepts the proposal and North Korea keeps its word, the taekwondo exchange is set to play a significant role in their reconciliation. The martial art is shared by both sides although they are still technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

North Korea currently leads the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) as the governing body of its style of taekwondo, which compares to the World Taekwondo (WT), a Seoul-based organization whose standard is accepted by the International Olympic Committee.

Despite the differences, taekwondo has been playing a key role in the relationship between the two Koreas.

Last June, the ITF also sent a demonstration team to the World Taekwondo Championships held in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, marking the first visit in 10 years and the first sports exchange between the Koreas after South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office in May.

Responding to North Korea’s latest offer, World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won said his organization will make preparations to have the martial art lend its hands to the reconciliation of the Koreas.

Two Koreas kick off high-level talks on Winter Olympics, ties

PANMUNJOM, Korea, Jan. 9 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) — South and North Korea began their first formal talks in more than two years Tuesday to discuss the North’s potential participation in next month’s Winter Olympics and ways to improve their long-stalled ties.

The high-level talks started at 10:00 a.m. at the truce village of Panmunjom in the heavily fortified border area, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.

The meeting came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un extended a rare rapprochement to Seoul in his New Year’s Day message. He expressed a willingness to send a delegation to the PyeongChang Olympics and said the country is open for dialogue.

North Korea accepted Seoul’s dialogue offer Friday after the South and the United States agreed to postpone their military drills until after the Olympics. It also reopened a long-disconnected border hotline.

“I came here with hopes that the two Koreas hold talks with a sincere and faithful attitude to give precious results to the Korean people who harbor high expectations for this meeting, as the first new year present,” Ri Son-gwon, North Korea’s chief delegate, said at the start of the talks.

He is the chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, North Korea’s state agency handling affairs with the South.

“These talks started after long-frayed inter-Korean ties,” said Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, the South’s chief negotiator, in response. “Well begun is half done. I hope that (the two sides) could hold the talks with determination and persistence.”

This Photo, taken by the Joint Press Corps on Jan. 9, 2018, shows South Korea’s chief delegate Cho Myoung-gyon (L) shaking hands with his North Korean counterpart Ri Son-gwon before holding South and North Korea’s high-level talks. (Yonhap)

The meeting came as North Korea is under tough international sanctions over its nuclear and missile provocations. It conducted its sixth nuclear test and fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) last year.

The government of liberal President Moon Jae-in has voiced the hope that the North’s participation in the games will help ease tensions on the divided peninsula that were sparked by the North’s provocations.

Moon also hopes that better inter-Korean relations will pave the way for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and for broader dialogue between the United States and the North.

Though the two Koreas will focus on Olympic cooperation, they are also expected to discuss ways to improve long-stalled inter-Korean ties.

Possible agenda items with regard to the Olympics include whether the North’s delegation would travel by land or other routes and whether the two Koreas would march together under a unified Korean flag at the opening and closing ceremonies.

If the land route across the heavily guarded border is chosen, there should be consultation between the military authorities of the two Koreas.

If the North sends a cheering squad or a performing arts and singing team, both sides will also have to consult over details such as travel route, accommodation and security issues.

As to inter-Korean ties, Seoul is expected to highlight the urgency of easing military tensions and resolving the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War by renewing its July peace proposal.

In July last year, the South proposed holding military talks on easing border tensions and holding a Red Cross meeting to discuss the reunion of divided families. North Korea has not responded to Seoul’s offer.

Asked if North Korea’s denuclearization issue could be discussed, Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman at Seoul’s unification ministry said Monday, “The Koreas plan to discuss Olympic cooperation and issues of mutual concern.”

North Korea may repeat its call for South Korea and the U.S. to halt their joint military drills, which Pyongyang has long denounced as a war rehearsal.

The North could also demand that the South lift its economic sanctions and resume inter-Korean economic projects in exchange for its participation in the Winter Games, experts say.

The South closed an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North’s border city of Kaesong in 2016 and suspended a joint tour program at Mount Kumgang in 2008.

Resumption of operations at the complex and of the tour project could spark a row over the possible violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at curbing the inflow of hard currency to the North.

“The high-level talks can be called a success if North Korea agrees to join the Games and the two sides set the date for a next meeting and identify each other’s stance over issues of mutual concern,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

Russian hockey players will perform at 2018 Olympics in uniforms with OAR logo

Photo courtesy Press Office, IOC.

MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has confirmed that Russian players will be performing at the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang in uniforms without a hockey player emblem and reading “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR), the IIHF press service told TASS.

A source familiar with the uniform design coordination process told TASS earlier that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had confirmed the uniform design. The initial version featured the hockey player logo instead of the Russian coat of arms. At present, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) is waiting for the outfitter to finalize the uniforms. Russian hockey players will use two types of jerseys at the Games: red and white.

The IOC barred Russia’s team from the 2018 Olympic Games due to doping violations. That said, clean Russian athletes will be allowed to the Olympics; the IOC will form their list later. They will be performing under the Olympic flag, without any Russian symbols on their uniforms.

The 2018 Olympic Games will run on February 9-25 in PyeongChang.

Koreas agree to hold high-level talks Jan 9; First since 2015

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) — South and North Korea agreed Friday to hold high-level talks next week to discuss Pyongyang’s potential participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and ways to improve ties.

North Korea notified Seoul that it has accepted South Korea’s latest offer for talks next Tuesday, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.

“The two sides decided to discuss working-level issues for the talks by exchanging documents,” Baik Tae-hyun, ministry spokesman at the ministry, told a press briefing.

The move comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed willingness to send a delegation to the Olympics to be held in the South next month and said the country is open to inter-Korean talks over the matter. The South proposed Tuesday for a high-level meeting in response.

The agreement came as the South and the United States agreed late Thursday to delay their joint military drills during the Winter Olympics.

North Korea has long denounced the military drills as a war rehearsal and used them as an excuse for its provocations. But the South and the U.S. said that the exercises are defensive in nature.

Next week’s talks will be the first inter-Korean dialogue since December 2015.

North Korea sent a document to the South under the name of Ri Son-gwon, the head of the North’s state agency in charge of inter-Korean affairs. The receiver is South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, the ministry said.

After a nine-year rule of two conservative governments, liberal President Moon, who favors engagement with Pyongyang, took office in May last year. But the North’s nuclear and missile threats have prompted him to maintain the dual track of seeking sanctions and dialogue.

Seoul hopes that better inter-Korean relations can help pave the way for the resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issue and broader talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

Some experts said that the North’s overture to South Korea may be aimed at weakening the united front in enforcing sanctions on Pyongyang and driving a wedge in the decadeslong alliance between Seoul and Washington.

Donald Trump Agrees to Suspend Military War Games During Winter Olympics

Photo provided courtesy of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in during his telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 4, 2018. (Yonhap)

STATEMENTS & RELEASES

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea

Issued on: January 4, 2018

President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea to discuss recent developments on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders agreed to continue the campaign of maximum pressure against North Korea and to not repeat mistakes of the past. The United States and the Republic of Korea are committed to a safe and successful 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. President Trump told President Moon that the United States will send a high-level delegation to the Olympics. The two leaders agreed to de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games.

From South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency:

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Thursday to delay their countries’ regular joint military exercises during the Winter Olympic Games to be held here next month.

The agreement came in a telephone conversation between the two leaders, according to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

The tentative agreement came at a request from the South Korean leader.

“I believe it would greatly help ensure the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games if you could express an intention to delay joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises during the Olympics in case the North does not make any more provocations,” Moon was quoted as telling Trump.

The U.S. president agreed, saying Moon may tell North Korea that there will be no military exercises during the Olympics, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

In a press release, the White House confirmed the leaders agreed to “de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games.”

The call between Moon and Trump came one day after the divided Koreas reopened their dialogue channel at the joint security area of Panmunjeom in a prelude to resuming government-level talks for the first time since December 2015.

In a tweet, Donald Trump took credit for renewed dialogue between North Korea and South Korea:

With all of the failed “experts” weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total “might” against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018

North Korea willing to send delegation to PyeongChang Olympics

Photo: North Korean figure skaters Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik, courtesy Yonhap.

SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Monday his country is willing to send its delegation to the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea.

“The Winter Games to be held in South Korea will be a good occasion for the country. We sincerely hope that the Winter Olympics will be a success,” Kim said in his New Year’s Day message. “We have readiness to take various steps, including the dispatch of the delegation.”

Winter Olympics Torch Relay, Preparations Underway: Photo Highlights

The leader also said that the North is open to talks with South Korea to discuss its participation in the games.

It marked the first official announcement by North Korea over its willingness to attend the Winter Games, which will be held from Feb. 9-25.

Russia to participate in parade of athletes at 2018 Olympics opening

Russia to participate in parade of athletes at 2018 Olympics opening

Photo: Russian bobsledders at the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, 2014. Stanislav Kraslinkov, TASS

December 29, 2017

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russian athletes will participate in the parade of national teams at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang, Alexander Zhukov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), told TASS on Friday.

“Russian athletes will take part in the opening ceremony of the Games in PyeongChang and they will participate in the parade of athletes under the Olympic flag,” Zhukov said in an interview with TASS.

Earlier in the day, Anastasia Zadorina, the head of ZASPORT sports outfit design company, told TASS that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a new design of the Russian team’s ceremonial uniform for the 2018 Olympics.

According to her, the initially designed uniform underwent some changes as “In line with the requirements, we took off the tricolor (the Russian national flag), the national emblem and added the required OAR emblem.”

Winter Olympics Torch Relay, Preparations Underway: Photo Highlights

The Executive Board of the IOC announced its decision on December 5 to suspend the Russian national team from taking part in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang over multiple doping abuse allegations.

The IOC, however, stated that doping-free athletes from Russia could go to the 2018 Olympic Games under the classification of neutral athletes, or the OAR status, which stands for ‘Olympic Athlete from Russia.’

The upcoming Olympics, which are 23rd Winter Games, will take place in South Korea’s PyeongChang on February 9-25, 2018.

Olympic Committee Suspends Russia; Clean Athletes to Compete in PYEONGCHANG 2018 under Olympic Flag

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This was an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport. The IOC EB, after following due process, has issued proportional sanctions for this systemic manipulation while protecting the clean athletes. This should draw a line under this damaging episode and serve as a catalyst for a more effective anti-doping system led by WADA.”

THE IOC EXECUTIVE BOARD TODAY STUDIED AND DISCUSSED THE FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION LED BY THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF SWITZERLAND, SAMUEL SCHMID, ADDRESSING THE SYSTEMATIC MANIPULATION OF THE ANTI-DOPING SYSTEM IN RUSSIA. THIS REPORT ALSO ADDRESSES IN PARTICULAR THE MANIPULATION AT THE ANTI-DOPING LABORATORY AT THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SOCHI 2014 WHICH TARGETED THE OLYMPIC GAMES DIRECTLY. OVER 17 MONTHS OF EXTENSIVE WORK, THE SCHMID COMMISSION GATHERED EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION AND HELD HEARINGS WITH ALL THE MAIN ACTORS. DUE PROCESS, TO WHICH EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND EVERY ORGANISATION IS ENTITLED, WAS FOLLOWED. THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE IOC PRIOR TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES RIO 2016.

The conclusions of the Schmid Report, on both factual and legal aspects, confirmed “the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia, through the Disappearing Positive Methodology and during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, as well as the various levels of administrative, legal and contractual responsibility, resulting from the failure to respect the respective obligations of the various entities involved”.

As a consequence, the Schmid Commission recommended to the IOC EB:

“to take the appropriate measures that should be strong enough to effectively sanction the existence of a systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia, as well as the legal responsibility of the various entities involved (i.e., including uniform, flag and anthem);
while protecting the rights of the individual Russian clean athletes; and
to take into consideration the multiple costs incurred by the two IOC DCs, in particular those linked to the investigations, the various expertise and the re-analysis of the samples of the Olympic Games.”

After discussing and approving the Schmid Report, the IOC EB took the following decision:

To suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) with immediate effect.
To invite individual Russian athletes under strict conditions (see below) to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. These invited athletes will participate, be it in individual or team competitions, under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)”. They will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.
Not to accredit any official from the Russian Ministry of Sport for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
To exclude the then Minister of Sport, Mr Vitaly Mutko, and his then Deputy Minister, Mr. Yuri Nagornykh, from any participation in all future Olympic Games.
To withdraw Mr Dmitry Chernyshenko, the former CEO of the Organising Committee Sochi 2014, from the Coordination Commission Beijing 2022.
To suspend ROC President Alexander Zhukov as an IOC Member, given that his membership is linked to his position as ROC President.
The IOC reserves the right to take measures against and sanction other individuals implicated in the system.
The ROC to reimburse the costs incurred by the IOC on the investigations and to contribute to the establishment of the Independent Testing Authority (ITA) for the total sum of USD 15 million, to build the capacity and integrity of the global anti-doping system.
The IOC may partially or fully lift the suspension of the ROC from the commencement of the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 provided these decisions are fully respected and implemented by the ROC and by the invited athletes and officials.
The IOC will issue operational guidelines for the implementation of these decisions.

How the athletes will be chosen:

To invite individual Russian athletes to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 according to the following guidelines:

The invitation list will be determined, at its absolute discretion, by a panel chaired by Valerie Fourneyron, Chair of the ITA. The panel will include members of the Pre-Games Testing Task Force: one appointed by WADA, one by the DFSU and one by the IOC, Dr Richard Budgett.
This panel will be guided in its decisions by the following principles:
1. 1. It can only consider athletes who have qualified according to the qualification standards of their respective sport.
  2. Athletes must be considered clean to the satisfaction of this panel:
    - Athletes must not have been disqualified or declared ineligible for any Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
    - Athletes must have undergone all the pre-Games targeted tests recommended by the Pre-Games Testing Task Force.
    - Athletes must have undergone any other testing requirements specified by the panel to ensure a level playing field.
The IOC, at its absolute discretion, will ultimately determine the athletes to be invited from the list.
1. These invited athletes will participate, be it in individual or team competitions, in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)”. They will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.
2. These invited athletes will enjoy the same technical and logistical support as any other Olympic athlete.
3. The panel, at its absolute discretion, will determine an invitation list for support staff and officials.
4. This panel will be guided in its decisions by the following principles:
  - No member of the leadership of the Russian Olympic Team at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 can be included on the invitation list.
  - No coach or medical doctor whose athlete has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation can be included on the invitation list. All coaches and medical doctors included on the invitation list must sign a declaration to this effect.
  - Any other requirement considered necessary to protect the integrity of the Olympic Games.
5. The IOC, at its absolute discretion, will ultimately determine the support staff and officials to be invited from the list.

He continued: “As an athlete myself, I feel very sorry for all the clean athletes from all NOCs who are suffering from this manipulation. Working with the IOC Athletes’ Commission, we will now look for opportunities to make up for the moments they have missed on the finish line or on the podium.”

Winter Olympics Torch Relay, Preparations Underway: Photo Highlights

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games will run from Feb. 9-25 in the alpine town and nearby cities of Jeongseon and Gangneung in South Korea.

Preparations for 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games under way
This aerial photo, taken Nov. 30, 2017, shows the Alpensia Biathlon Center, the Cross-Country Skiing Center and the Alpensia Ski Jumping Stadium, where artificial snow is being made, in PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul, ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games that will run from Feb. 9-25 in the alpine town and nearby cities of Jeongseon and Gangneung. (Yonhap)/2017-11-30

100-day countdown to PyeongChang Paralympics
Dignitaries and guests including Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan and Lee Hee-beom, head of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee, take part in a ceremony at a training center for disabled athletes in the city of Icheon, south of Seoul, on Nov. 29, 2017, to unveil a clock tower showing the 100-day countdown to the first Winter Paralympics in South Korea. PyeongChang, an alpine resort town 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, will host the Winter Paralympic Games from March 9 to 18 next year, under the slogan “Passion. Connected.” The event follows the Winter Olympic Games, scheduled from Feb. 9 to 25. (Yonhap)/2017-11-29

Olympic Village:

Torch Relay:

PyeongChang Olympic flame
Seo Ki-won, an Army helicopter pilot, carries the Olympic flame for the 2018 PyeongChang Games in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, on Nov. 21, 2017. (Yonhap)/2017-11-22

More highlights from the Torch Relay still in progress:

Door Still Open to North Korean Figure Skaters to Compete in Winter Olympics

Update:

IOC President met with N. Korean Olympic chief in Switzerland: VOA

2017/12/09

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has met with North Korea’s Olympic body chief in Switzerland, a U.S. broadcaster said Saturday.

Bach had a meeting with North Korea’s Olympic Committee President Kim Il-guk at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, according to Voice of America (VOA). VOA was citing an e-mail from the IOC’s public affairs office.

The IOC, however, didn’t elaborate on what the two officials discussed, VOA said, adding that it was a meeting for them to get to know each other after Kim became North Korea’s new Olympic body chief earlier this year.

The meeting came amid speculation that Bach might visit North Korea to discuss the communist nation’s participation in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next year.

The South Korean government and the organizers of the PyeongChang Games have been asking the IOC to support North Koreans competing at the Winter Olympics south of the border, which will be held from Feb. 9-25.

The IOC previously said it is willing to cover all costs for North Korean athletes if they participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

This photo taken by the EPA shows International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach speaking at a press conference after an executive board meeting of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Dec. 6, 2017. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) — North Korea has missed the deadline to enter its figure skating pairs team for next year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, a report claimed Friday.

NBC Sports said North Korea’s Olympic committee missed an Oct. 30 deadline to confirm whether it would send its qualified figure skating pairs duo, Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-ik, to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next February.

Ryom and Kim clinched their Olympic spot at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September.

According to NBC Sports, the International Skating Union (ISU) has not received any word from North Korea.

The non-action casts further uncertainty over the prospect of North Korea competing at a Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea for the first time. North Korea did not participate in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

In this Associated Press file photo taken Sept. 29, 2017, North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok (L) and Kim Ju-sik perform their free skating routine during the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Yonhap)

But the doors are still open for North Korea. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may grant select North Korean athletes wild card entries. IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly stated that the IOC has invited North Korea to participate in PyeongChang 2018 and that it has offered support if necessary.

North Korea did not compete at the 2014 Sochin Winter Olympics.

Last month, North Korea skipped the final leg of the ISU World Cup Short Track in Seoul, which doubled as the last Olympic qualifying event. North Korea only competed at the first two World Cups, and the Olympic quotas were filled based on the three best performances by skaters out of four World Cups.

The organizing committee for PyeongChang is taking a wait-and-see approach on the North’s participation. An official there said Olympic participation is apparently a sensitive issue in Pyongyang as well.