North Korea has extended a formal invitation for President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang via the high-level delegation it sent to the PyeongChang Olympics.
Attention now turns to whether an inter-Korean summit can be held.
The Seoul government plans to foster conditions for Moon's cross-border visit including efforts toward spurring dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.
President Moon met with the North's high-level delegation last Saturday at his office for nearly three hours.
During the meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister Kim Yo-jong handed Moon a letter from her brother and also verbally expressed wishes for the South Korean leader to visit Pyongyang later this year.
In response, President Moon proposed to work with the North to create an environment conducive for inter-Korean talks.
He also said that U.S.-North Korea talks need to be held soon for the development of Seoul-Pyongyang relations. He asked the North to be active in seeking dialogue with Washington.
The high-level delegation arrived in South Korea on February 9th, the opening day of the Winter Olympics.
The four-member delegation was headed by North Korea's ceremonial head of state and parliamentary leader Kim Yong-nam, but Kim Yo-jong was the key figure.
By saying that she visited the South on a special mission, Kim acknowledged herself as a special envoy of Kim Jong-un.
The North Korean delegates met with Moon several times during their stay including at a diplomatic reception, the Olympic opening ceremony, an inter-Korean women's ice hockey match and a North Korean orchestra performance.
They wrapped up their three-day visit and returned home last Sunday.
The government has begun follow-up steps to sustain the momentum of Kim Yo-jong's visit.
As President Moon pointed out, the priority is to pursue North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
South Korea believes the two sides should begin talks by late March when the Olympic and Paralympic Games are over and plans for South Korea-U.S. joint military drills will begin to materialize.
Seoul is expected to exert its utmost efforts to narrow the wide difference between Pyongyang and Washington regarding denuclearization.
Seoul is known to be planning to mobilize all available inter-Korean channels aimed at inducing a change in North Korea's attitude.
However, the U.S. maintains a stern position. It's also considering implementing further sanctions against the North, including a possible maritime interdiction.