2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games

N. Korean Art Troupe Heads to Gangneung for Concert: North Korea's art troupe, which arrived in South Korea on Tuesday via a ferry, left for Gangneung to prepare for its concert in celebration of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The 140-member Samjiyon Orchestra got off the North Korean ferry, Mangyongbong-92, at 8:20 a.m Wednesday. The ship docked at the South's Mukho port on the east coast on Tuesday afternoon but the art troupe remained inside the ship. Head of the troupe Hyon Song-wol and other performers, wearing red coats and black fur hats and scarves quickly got on buses and left for the Gangneung Art Center, the venue for their concert scheduled for Thursday. The Samjiyon art troupe consisting of an orchestra, dancers and singers will then travel to Seoul to perform on Sunday.; 2018-02-07
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Pence Doesn't Rule out Talks with N. Korea at Olympics: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out the possibility of meetings with North Korean representatives on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Pence, who is leading the U.S. delegation to the games, said that "we'll see what happens" when asked about a possible meeting with the North Korean delegation. Pence, who departed for a six-day trip to South Korea and Japan on Monday, made the remarks at a stop at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. He said that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he always believes in talking, but he has not requested any meeting. Pence said if he met any officials from the North, the message would be the same as it has been in public, which is that North Korea must once and for all abandon its nuclear weapons program and ballistic missile ambitions.; 2018-02-07
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N. Korean Cheering Squad, Media Delegation Due in S. Korea: A 280-member North Korean delegation, including cheerleaders and a taekwondo demonstration team, will arrive in South Korea Wednesday via the western border land route. Seoul's Unification Ministry said Tuesday the North has notified that the delegation will arrive at the South Korean side of the Inter-Korean Transit Office at 9:30 a.m. The delegation led by Sports Minister Kim Il-guk also includes journalists and officials of North Korea's Olympic committee. The roster conveyed by the North consists of four officials of the National Olympic Committee, 229 cheerleaders, 26 taekwondo demonstrators and 21 journalists for a total of 280 members. The cheering squad will reportedly attend North Korean athletes' games and the joint inter-Korean ice hockey team's games, as well as some of South Koreans athletes' matches. The taekwondo demonstration team will hold four joint demonstrations with South Koreans. The first performance will be held ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday, and the second performance on the following day in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The remaining two performances will be held in Seoul next Monday and Wednesday.; 2018-02-07
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PyeongChang Athletes' Village Mayor Welcomes Record-Number of Olympians: Anchor: With just a couple days to go before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics kicks off, the athletes' village has opened its doors to Olympians from around the world. The PyeongChang Organizing Committee has named two Olympic gold medal-winning athletes as honorary ‘mayors’ of the village throughout the period of the games. South Korea’s sole International Olympic Committee member Ryu Seung-min is one of those mayors. He welcomed the Olympic athletes in an interview with KBS Korea 24. Our Oh Soo-young has more. Report: A record two-thousand-925 athletes from 92 countries and regions set to participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics are settling into their home for the month -- the PyeongChang Olympic Village. Former Olympian and gold medalist in table tennis Ryu Seung-min welcomed the athletes in his honorary role as mayor of the village. In an interview with KBS World Radio Korea 24, Ryu expressed his dedication to the role of supporting the largest-ever number of Olympians, stepping into their shoes as a four-time Olympic athlete. [Sound bite: PyeongChang Olympic Village Mayor Ryu Seung-min (English)] “Through my four times’ experience in the Olympic village, I fully understand the importance of the Athlete’s Village to improve and keep athletes performance level. I will make every effort to keep the facilities safe and have the athletes feel comfortable and stay in good condition while staying in the village.” Catering to diverse needs, the village provides a dining area serving local and international cuisine all around the clock as well as a multi-faith center. Athletes will also have access to a recreation center and a state-of-the-art medical center, as well as “high street” facilities such as a café, a convenience store and a bank – amenities you’d expect to find in any village. As mayor, a former Olympian and the lone South Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, Ryu pledged his utmost efforts to create a supportive, harmonious atmosphere throughout the Games. [Sound bite: PyeongChang Olympic Village Mayor Ryu Seung-min (English)] “First of all, as an IOC member, I hope that the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games will be successfully hosted and contribute to the development of the Olympic movement and deliver a message of world peace throughout the world. As mayor of the Olympic Village, I will do my best to communicate well with all the athletes and their entourages to provide best conditions during the period of the games.” The full interview with Olympic Athletes’ Village Mayor Ryu Seung-min will air on KBS World Radio Korea 24 on Tuesday evening Korea Time. Oh Soo-young, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-06
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CNN: Ivanka Trump to Attend Olympics Closing Ceremony: Ivanka Trump will attend the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. A White House official told CNN on Monday that the U.S. president’s daughter will lead the presidential delegation to South Korea for the closing ceremony of the games. The official said that the first daughter and senior adviser was asked to attend the closing ceremony by her father and the United States Olympic Committee. She will also attend some of the sporting events U.S. athletes are competing in.; 2018-02-06
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Moon: Olympics will Show Sports can Help Overcome Differences: President Moon Jae-in says that the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will show the world that sports can help overcome differences in politics and ideologies and that the event will mark the start of establishing peace in the region. The president made the remarks on Monday during his speech for the opening ceremony of the 132nd session of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) in Gangneung. Moon said that the PyeongChang Olympics is set to open thanks to efforts by the IOC which has repeatedly confirmed that dialogue and peace coincide with the Olympic spirit. He added that just about a month or two ago, many countries worried about the safety of the Olympics, and North Korea's Olympic participation and an inter-Korean joint team was considered impossible, but these things have become reality. Moon said that the PyeongChang Olympics is the start of Olympics in Northeast Asia, as Japan and China are set to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympics. He said that if the PyeongChang Olympics contribute to peace and progress in the region and the world, it would be creating the most meaningful Olympic legacy in the history of the games.; 2018-02-06
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N. Korea's Art Troupe Arrive in S. Korea via Ferry Tuesday: A North Korean art troupe have arrived by ferry in South Korea on Tuesday for performances to mark the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The North Korean ferry, Mangyongbong-92, arrived at the country's Mukho port in the eastern city of Donghae around 4.30 p.m. Tuesday. The Unification Ministry said that the ferry carrying the 140-member art troupe met a South Korean escort ship in the maritime border in the East Sea at around 9:30 a.m. and traveled to Mukho port under convoy. Regarding concerns that the entry of the ferry may violate Seoul's sanctions against the North, the government said that it has decided to make an exception for the Mangyongbong-92 in a move to support the country's successful hosting of the PyeongChang Olympics. A 23-member advance team from the North Korean art troupe arrived in South Korea on Monday to prepare for the planned performances, which will be held in Seoul and Gangneung. A North Korean radio report said Tuesday morning that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong saw off the troupe when it left Pyongyang on Monday by train for Wonsan to take the ferry.; 2018-02-06
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PM: N. Korean Military Parade Regrettable: Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon says it is regrettable that a North Korean military parade is set to be held ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Lee made the remark during the National Assembly’s interpellation session on Monday after Representative Ahn Sang-soo of the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party asked him whether the government asked Pyongyang to stop or postpone the parade marking the 70th anniversary of the North Korean military. Lee said it's not desirable for the North to conduct the military parade as the South is poised to hold the sporting festival, and that the government is keenly watching how the North Korean event will unfold. Pointing to media reports that the North is not allowing foreign press to cover the military parade, the prime minister said the North seems to give the impression that it does not want to provoke the international community.; 2018-02-05
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Nuke Envoys of S. Korea, US Discuss N. Korean Issues: Top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States have discussed North Korea’s nuclear issue and exchanged assessments on related developments, including the North's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said South Korea's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon held a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Joseph Yun in Seoul on Monday, during which they also discussed joint responses to the North based on full, bilateral coordination. The ministry said the two sides decided to closely cooperate on South Korea's successful hosting of the Winter Games as an Olympics of peace. They also spoke about measures to help continue the momentum created for peace on the Korean Peninsula so it could lead to the resumption of talks to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.; 2018-02-05
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Rival Parties Split over Planned Visit by N. Korean Ceremonial Leader: Rival political parties in South Korea have given mixed responses to an upcoming visit by North Korea’s ceremonial head of state during the PyeongChang Winter Games. In a written statement, the ruling Democratic Party spokesman Park Wan-joo welcomed the upcoming visit by Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. The party said the PyeongChang Games is a message of peace informing that a "precious seed of fire" has been made to light peace over the Korean Peninsula. However, Chang Je-won, chief spokesman for the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party, dismissed the visit by the North Korean official as ceremonial, arguing it rather shows that the North is not treating the PyeongChang Games significantly. He cautioned against finding excessive political significance out of the occasion, saying the government will only be duped by the North’s ploys disguised as a peaceful overture.; 2018-02-05
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