South Korea has launched follow-up efforts to implement inter-Korean agreement to form unified teams for the Tokyo Olympics despite North Korea's silence on the matter.

The two Koreas initially agreed to field joint teams in four disciplines, but Seoul is seeking to create a team in women’s hockey first, given the approaching schedule to realize the goal in the sport. 

An official of the Korea Hockey Association told KBS on Friday that the Unification Ministry informed the body of its intention to review plans regarding women’s hockey separately from plans related with the other three sports. The official said the association responded by submitting its proposals on how to form a unified women’s hockey team to the ministry earlier in the day. 

The two Koreas need to begin a joint training no later than early May, according to the official, as the field hockey season’s finals, which decide qualifying teams for the Olympics, will be held in June. 

The official also speculated the ministry was taking action out of fear that failing to create a unified women’s hockey team could lead to a collapse in plans to form joint teams in the other three sports. 

The two Koreas, together with the International Olympic Committee, held a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland in February, and agreed to field unified teams for women's basketball, women's field hockey, rowing and judo at the 2020 Summer Games.

However, the North has severed contacts with the South over sports-related matters since the second summit between the North and the U.S. ended without a deal in Hanoi at the end of February.