OPENING?

S. Korea Welcomes Kim Jong Un’s Proposed Olympics Talks

Winter Games begin in Pyeongchang next month.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s apparent willingness to participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and offer for high-level talks. Just a day earlier, Kim announced his hope “for (a) peaceful resolution with our southern border” in a televised New Year’s Day speech. Kim said North Korean representatives should begin discussing the possibility of sending a delegation to the 2018 Winter Games as soon as possible. Moon, in turn, described Kim’s speech “as a response to our proposal to turn the Pyeongchang Olympic Games into an epoch-making opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations and establish peace.”