Winter Olympics: North, South Korea to Stage Joint Parade

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Sports News, World News Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – North and South Korea have agreed to march together under a single “unified Korea” flag at the next month’s Winter Olympics in the South.

Similarly, the two countries BBC reports have agreed to field a joint women’s ice hockey team in rare talks at the truce village of Panmunjom.

These are the first high-level talks between the two Koreas in more than two years.

The Games will take place between 9 and 25 February in Pyeongchang in South Korea.

If the plans are realized, a hundreds-strong North Korean delegation – including 230 cheerleaders, 140 orchestral musicians and 30 taekwondo athletes – could cross into the South via the land border to attend.

The North has also agreed to send a smaller, 150-member delegation to the Paralympics in March.

Both South Korea’s hockey coach and conservative newspapers had expressed concern about the prospect of a united hockey team, saying it could damage South Korea’s chances of winning a medal.

Tens of thousands of people are said to have signed online petitions urging President Moon Jae-in to scrap the plan.

Expectedly, the South’s liberal President Moon told South Korean Olympic athletes on Wednesday that the North’s participation in the Games would help improve inter-Korean relations.