Winter Olympics: N.Korean athletes, cheerleaders participate in welcome event

IANS  |  Gangneung (South Korea) 

North Korean athletes and their cheerleading squad attending the PyeongChang 2018 participated in a welcome ceremony on Thursday at the Olympic Village in

The athletes, including 12 players from the unified Korean female team, joined other delegations outside the Olympic village for the event, held one day before the opening ceremony, reports news.

The North Korean cheerleading squad, which arrived in on Wednesday amid huge media attention, also participated in the ceremony.

North Korean officials, journalists, members of a exhibition team and a 140-member orchestra -- which will play at a concert in later on Thursday -- have also arrived in for the Games.

The presence of the delegation at the Games is the result of agreements signed by the two Koreas, who have technically been at war for 65 years.

Both countries have also agreed to march under the same flag in the much-anticipated opening ceremony on Friday.

A delegation of high ranking officials of the Kim Jong-un regime, including his sister and Kim Yong-nam, the of the National Assembly, were also due to arrive on Friday.

Yo-jong will be the first member of the Kim family to visit

--IANS

sam/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Thu, February 08 2018. 12:22 IST