Japan's Kyodo news agency says that North Korea's sole member of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) arrived in Beijing from Pyongyang on Saturday.

Kyodo cited a source as saying that North Korean IOC member Chang Ung appears to be headed to Switzerland for talks with the IOC on Pyongyang's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

When asked by reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport on whether North Korean figure skaters who won a berth to compete in the games will actually go, Chang said they are "likely to participate."

In his New Year address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country was willing to send a delegation to the PyeongChang Games.

A high-level inter-Korean meeting to discuss the North's Olympic participation is scheduled for Tuesday.

Kyodo said that if the North Korean official is indeed holding talks with the IOC, this shows the North is looking favorably on taking part at the games next month.

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