News of offer becomes public as Seoul, Pyongyang prepare for working-level talks Monday on north side of border village
South Korea has suggested the formation of a combined women’s hockey team with North Korea to compete at the Winter Olympics next month, a potential landmark development in relations between the bitter rivals.
The proposal was made on Tuesday when delegations from both countries held talks at the border village of Panmunjom and acknowledged Saturday by North Korea’s representative to the International Olympic Committee, Chang Ung.
“That’s a topic under discussion at the IOC,” Chang told reporters at Beijing’s international airport. Chang was returning to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang following a visit to the Olympic governing body’s headquarters in Switzerland. Chang did not say whether North Korea supported the proposal.
After their first formal discussions in more than two years, both countries agreed on Tuesday that the North would participate in the games and to hold military talks to improve relations.
