North Korea will send a 140-member performing squad to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Monday.
North and South Korea held high-level talks in Panmunjom on Monday to continue discussions about the North's participation in the Olympic games, which are being held in Pyeongchang and start next month.
The North Korean art troupe will perform in Gangneung, located near Pyeongchang, and Seoul during the Olympics. The group includes 80 orchestra members and 60 performers who sing and dance, according to the Associated Press.
North and South Korea will continue to discuss logistics of the performances, such as venue, stage conditions and equipment, the two sides said in a joint release.
Officials from North Korea and South Korea engaged in high-level talks last week, the first time such dialogue has occurred between the two Koreas in more than two years. During the talks, the two sides agreed North Korea would send a delegation to next month’s winter games.
North and South Korea are also discussing forming a joint women’s ice hockey team to compete, according to media reports. Doing so, however, requires approval from the International Olympic Committee.
The two sides will meet with the International Olympic Committee on Saturday, and will gather Wednesday ahead of their meeting at the Olympic committee’s headquarters in Switzerland.
Ahead of the first round of talks last week, President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to postpone joint military exercises until after the Winter Olympics.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal last week his decision to do so “sends a good message to North Korea,” which has raised tensions with its nuclear and missile tests.
