SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister and other senior North Korean officials who are coming to the South on Friday for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Moon’s spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom also said on Thursday the North Korean delegates will attend the games’ opening ceremony on Friday evening, hours after they are to arrive at Incheon International Airport on a private jet.

Kim said Moon will hold a luncheon with the North Korean delegates on Saturday.

Kim Yo Jong, believed to be around 30, would be the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to visit the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Analysts say her inclusion in the Olympic delegation shows North Korea’s ambition to use the Olympics to break out from diplomatic isolation by improving relations with the South, which it could use as a bridge for approaching the United States.

South Korean media have been speculating on whether Kim Jong Un will send a personal message to Moon through his sister and, if so, whether it would include a proposal for a summit between the Koreas.

US Vice President Mike Pence, who arrived in South Korea on Thursday ahead of the Olympics, also is to meet separately with Moon. Pence is pushing South Korea to adopt a more hawkish stance toward the North and warning against North Korean “propaganda” efforts at the games.

Moon has looked to the Olympics as an opportunity to pursue a diplomatic opening with the North after a year of heightened tensions over its nuclear and missile programs.

Associated Press