A senior North Korean diplomat handling affairs with the United States was included in North Korea's high-level delegation to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics' closing ceremony.
​
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said Sunday that Choe Kang-il, a deputy director-general for North American affairs at Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry, is among the delegation's eight members who arrived in the South Sunday morning via the western border.
​
Choe has publicized the North's positions on the nuclear issue and relations with the United States through interviews with U.S. media and international conferences.
​
The diplomat's visit raises speculations about a possible announcement on the North's stance on the nuclear issue or dialogue with the United States, or possible contact with the U.S. delegation led by U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka on the occasion of the Olympics.