Seoul: South and North Korea held working-level talks on Tuesday to discuss details of the North’s participation in the Paralympics to be held in the South Korea next month.
Officials from the two sides met at the Tongilgak administrative building on the northern side of the Demilitarised Zone that bisects the two Koreas, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.
At last month’s inter-Korean talks, the North agreed to send a 150-member delegation, including athletes, an art troupe and cheerleaders, to the March 9-18 Paralympics.
The move comes as the North participated in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics that ended Sunday amid a mood for rapprochement between the two Koreas. North Korea sent a nearly 500-member delegation to the February 9-25 Olympics.
South Korea’s three-member delegation for the Paralympic talks was led by Lee Joo-tae, a director-general in charge of inter-Korean exchanges at the ministry.
- Lee Joo-tae » In charge of inter-Korean exchanges
His North Korean counterpart was Hwang Chung-song, a senior official at the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, North Korea’s state agency in charge of inter-Korean affairs.
“The North’s participation in the Olympics hugely contributed to delivering a message of peace and unity to the world,” Lee said at the start of the meeting in the morning.
Hwang said the recently ended Olympics helped boost the status of the Korean people, according to the ministry.
Earlier in the day, both sides discussed details, such as the size of the athletic delegation, a travel route and Seoul’s provision of logistical support. Details about the North’s participation will be reviewed by the International Paralympic Committee for approval.
— APP
