Anchor: The president of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) has said that he is in support of allowing athletes from North Korea to compete in the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. His comments are seen to hint that the IOC may grant North Korean athletes wild card slots to compete if no one from the country qualifies.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: The President of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) says he will try to allow North Korea to take part in the 2018 Winter Games to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 
 
[Sound bite: Thomas Bach - President, Int'l Olympic Committee (English)]
"[The IOC has] already invited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea back in February, supporting their athletes in order to qualify." 
 
Arriving in South Korea on Thursday to attend the closing ceremony of the World Taekwondo Federation(WTF) World Taekwondo Championships, IOC chief Thomas Bach hinted the committee may grant some “wild card” entries if no North Korean athletes qualify to compete.
 
The Olympic chief also said that he will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to discuss his recent suggestion for forming a joint inter-Korean team for the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
 
[Sound bite: Thomas Bach - President, Int'l Olympic Committee (English)] 
"[Moon's initiative] is in the spirit of the Olympism." 
"The Olympic Games are about understanding; they're about dialogue, and they're about peace as much as they are about competition."
 
He added, however, that the two Koreas must come to a conclusion first.
 
North Korea's IOC member Chang Ung shied away from the idea of an inter-Korean Olympic Team.
 
He told reporters at the WTF championship in Muju, South Korea that the proposal is unrealistic at this point. 
 
[Sound bite: Chang Ung - Member, Int'l Olympic Committee (Korean)] 
"Even during the good old times before the Sydney Olympics, it took seven meetings. That's the reality. Let's stop the assumption. Let's quit discussing 'ifs' and [discuss] what is realistic."
 
South Korean athletes said it would be unfortunate if they had to give up their places to compete at the games for North Korean players to join an inter-Korean team.
 
Thomas Bach will meet President Moon on Monday next week to discuss the prospect of establishing one team for the two Koreas.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.  

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