North Korean Skaters Cross Border

(ATR) The 12 North Korean skaters who will join a unified Korean women’s hockey team have arrived in South Korea.

The players arrived as part of a broader North Korean delegation sent to inspect sport venues in Gangneung and PyeongChang, according to Yonhap.

South Korean women’s hockey coach Sarah Murray was at the border to receive the North Korean players. The players will travel to Jincheon, South Korea to join the ongoing pre-Olympic training camp.

The unified hockey team will be the first unified Korean team in international competition since 1991. That year unified teams competed in the World Table Tennis Championships and the FIFA World Youth Championships. PyeongChang 2018 will be the first time in an Olympics a unified Korean team competes.

The unified team has created a rare thaw in talks between North and South Korea. It remains unclear if talks continue after the Games, as the issue of North Korea’s burgeoning nuclear program has not been addressed.

A number of world leaders will attend the 2018 Olympics including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. The pair is expected to meet with South Korean President Jae In Moon to discuss the continued pressure campaign against North Korea.

North Korea’s delegation will stay in South Korea for three days for the inspection, then return. Meanwhile, a South Korean delegation returned from North Korea after inspecting the Mount Kumgang ski resort. The inspection was part of a joint proposal by the two Koreas to hold a training session there ahead of the Olympics.

Joo Tae Lee, secretary general of the South Korean Unification Ministry, led the delegation. Lee kept details of the visit to himself when promoted by reporters, saying ministry officials need to review documents.

"The North helped us proceed smoothly with the inspection," Lee was quoted as saying by Yonhap after returning to South Korea. "The government will announce details tomorrow. The two Koreas will consult with each other by exchanging documents, as we don't have much time."

Critics of the South Korean government plan say that holding a session at Mount Kumgang will legitimize the ski resort. The resort is reportedly considered a pet project of North Korean leader Jong Un Kim, and built with materials that were banned from being imported to North Korea by United Nations sanctions.

The total size of the North Korean delegation to South Korea during the Olympics has yet to be determined. South Korean media estimated a total of 700 North Koreans could come in official capacities. Those accredited for the 2018 Olympics by the IOC will receive solidarity payments to aid travel and uniform costs. The IOC says all solidarity payments will comply with existing UN sanctions.

Written by Aaron Bauer

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.