2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games

WP: Otto Warmbier's Father to Attend PyeongChang Opening Ceremony: The father of an American college student, who died after being released by North Korea last year, will reportedly attend the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The Washington Post(WP) said on Sunday that Fred Warmbier, the father of Otto Warmbier, will accompany U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to the opening ceremony of South Korea’s first Winter Games which kick off on Friday. According to the WP, Pence’s upcoming five-day trip to South Korea and Japan will be focused on continuing the U.S. pressure campaign on the North. The WP said Pence will reiterate U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks that all options are on the table until the North suspends its nuclear program. Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was arrested by North Korea in Pyongyang in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He was freed and returned home in a coma last June but died six days after his release.; 2018-02-05
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Advance Team for N. Korean Orchestra Arrives in S. Korea: A North Korean delegation has arrived in South Korea to help prepare for performances by a North Korean art troupe in the South. The 23-member advance team, led by Kim Sun-ho, an administrative vice chief of the North’s Samjiyon Orchestra, crossed to the South via the western land border at 11:28 a.m. on Monday. Asked by South Korean reporters to say a few words on performing in the South, Kim just said they will work to get the performances fully ready. He also declined to comment on what South Korean songs they will perform, only saying it will be revealed during the performances. The orchestra, consisting of around 140 musicians and artists, plans to perform twice in the South at Gangneung Art Center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province at 8 p.m. on Thursday and at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Meanwhile, the North said early on Monday that the art troupe will be sent via a passenger ferry on Tuesday despite concerns that it could be a violation of South Korean and international sanctions.; 2018-02-05
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NIS Operating Counter-terrorism Headquarters Ahead of Olympics: The National Intelligence Service(NIS) has banned some 36-thousand foreigners suspected of terrorist ties from entering South Korea ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics. The spy agency conveyed this information to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Monday. Main opposition Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Yi Wan-young, who is a ranking member on the committee, gave a briefing after the parliament briefing. He said the NIS also launched a counter-terrorism headquarters last Monday comprising 17 agencies to ensure a safe Winter Games. Conveying what was also said by the NIS, the lawmaker said that vulnerable Olympic facilities were examined last month in cooperation with the U.S. and that foreigners who have applied for an Olympic registration card are also being thoroughly verified to exclude terror suspects. The NIS is also known to be looking into possible terror threats by the Islamic State and other groups and operating safety control booths at 18 Olympic sites, including stadiums and athletes' lodging.; 2018-02-05
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Presidential Office Welcomes N. Korean Nominal Head's Planned Visit: Anchor: North Korea's nominal head of state will visit the South for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. The presidential office welcomed the news and said Seoul will prepare various opportunities for the South and North's officials to communicate during their stay. Kim In-kyung has more. Report: North Korea will send its ceremonial head of state and other senior officials to South Korea this week for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. North Korea informed the South on Sunday night that Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, will lead a 22-member delegation. The presidential office immediately welcomed the news. Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum said Monday that Kim Yong-nam is the highest-ever ranking North Korean official to visit South Korea. The spokesman said the move shows the North's sincerity toward the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the success of the PyeongChang Games and that Seoul would prepare various opportunities for officials from both sides to communicate during their stay. Asked whether the North's parliamentary chief would meet with the South Korean president, the spokesman said the presidential office is currently discussing what kind of meetings could be held and will announce any decisions as soon as they are made. A presidential official said on Monday that Moon will have natural encounters with Kim, beginning with the Olympic opening ceremony, but it has yet to be decided whether the two will hold a one-on-one meeting. Meanwhile, another top office official said it's unlikely that Kim will meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who will lead the U.S. delegation to Pyeongchang. The official said Pence appears to be passive about U.S.-North Korea dialogue while being set on maintaining a pressure and sanctions strategy against the North, but expressed hope for an opening. The North Korean delegation's three-day visit will start on Friday, when the opening ceremony will be held in Pyeongchang. The North said the delegation will include three officials and 18 support staff, but did not provide other details. Kim In-kyung, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-05
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Top Office Welcomes N. Korea's Nominal Head's Planned S. Korea Visit: The presidential office has welcomed the news of North Korea's ceremonial head of state visiting the South for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum said Monday that Kim Yong-nam, who is the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, is the highest-ever ranking North Korean official to come to South Korea. Kim said the move shows the North's sincerity toward the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the success of the PyeongChang Games. The spokesman said that South Korea would warmly and cordially receive the arrival of the North's high-level delegation, which includes Kim, and it would prepare various opportunities for the South and North's officials to communicate during their stay. Regarding questions on whether the North's parliamentary chief would meet with the South Korean president, the spokesman said the presidential office is currently discussing what kind of meetings could be held and will announce any decisions as soon as they are made.; 2018-02-05
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N. Korea Offers to Send Art Troupe via Passenger Ferry: North Korea has proposed to send its art troupe which will perform in the South during the PyeongChang Olympics via a passenger ferry despite concerns that it could be a violation of Seoul's sanctions. Unification Ministry Spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said in a news briefing on Monday that the North informed the South the previous day that the troupe's main group will be traveling on the Mangyongbong-92 on Tuesday and will also use the ferry as accommodation. The North used the same ferry in 2002 to transport and provide accommodation for its cheering squad to the Asian Games held in the South's port city of Busan. However, concerns have emerged as the entry of the ferry into South Korea’s port is regarded as a violation of Seoul’s unilateral sanctions on the North as well as UN resolutions. Baik said that though a set of sanctions from 2010 ban North Korean vessels from entering South Korean ports, Seoul is mulling making an exception for the Mangyongbong for the successful hosting of the Winter Games. He said that Seoul will closely consult with the international community on the matter so that no actions are taken in violation of international sanctions. A 23-member advance team for the troupe arrived in the South on Monday via the western land border as planned.; 2018-02-05
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"Pence Will Point out Reality of N. Korea's Oppression at Olympics": A U.S. news Web site says U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will point out the reality of the oppression in North Korea every chance he gets when he visits South Korea for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games which will open on Friday. Axios quoted an aide to Pence as saying on Monday that Pence “will remind the world that everything the North Koreans do at the Olympics is a charade to cover up the fact that they are the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet.” The aide added that the U.S. “will not allow North Korea's propaganda to hijack the messaging of the Olympics." The source also said that Washington’s maximum pressure strategy targeting the Kim Jong-un regime is seeing an unprecedented level of international cooperation and Pence “will make clear that this maximum pressure campaign will only intensify." Another source said that the North wants to make the Olympics about “cute photo ops” adding that Pence “is countering North Korea’s desire to control the message.”; 2018-02-05
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Moon Likely to Meet N. Korean Top Official, One-on-One Meeting Undecided: President Moon Jae-in is reportedly considering one-on-one talks with North Korea's nominal head of state, who is set to visit South Korea this week to attend the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. North Korea notified Seoul on Sunday that it will send a high-level delegation led by Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, from Friday to Sunday. A presidential official said on Monday that President Moon will have natural encounters with Kim, beginning with the Olympic opening ceremony, but it has yet to be decided whether the two will hold a one-on-one meeting. Another presidential official also said it has not been decided yet whether Moon will hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim because his visit has just been announced. Kim is expected to attend Friday's opening ceremony as well as a preliminary round match of a unified women's ice hockey team of the two Koreas on Saturday. On Sunday, he is expected to attend a performance that the North's art troupe will be holding in Seoul. President Moon is likely to meet spontaneously with Kim if he decides to attend these events.; 2018-02-05
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Moon to Make Keynote Speech at IOC Session on Monday: President Moon Jae-in's Olympics diplomacy begins in earnest this week. Moon will make a keynote speech at the International Olympic Committee's(IOC) 132nd session in Gangneung on Monday, where he is expected to express gratitude for the IOC's support for the PyeongChang Olympics. He will attend a reception for visiting IOC members before the session. Moon will meet with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid on Tuesday, followed by summits with Canadian Governor General Julie Payette and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė on Wednesday. On Thursday, he will sit down for talks with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member Han Zheng. He will hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.; 2018-02-05
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Joint Ice Hockey Team Coach Proud of N. Koreans: Sarah Murray, the head coach of the unified women's ice hockey team for the Olympics has praised North Korean athletes for their hard work and willingness to learn, saying she is proud of them. The joint Korean team with 18 South Koreans and four North Koreans made their debut on Sunday in Incheon in a friendly match against Sweden, which ended in a 3-1 loss. Coach Murray said at a press conference after the game that North Koreans, in particular Jong Su-hyon, played really well in front of the large crowd, adding that they played pretty well in spite of different system and environment. She said that North Koreans joined the team 12 days ahead of the Olympics but they are eager to learn and are getting better. The joint team will face Switzerland on Saturday, Sweden next Monday and Japan next Wednesday.; 2018-02-05
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