It is sport, as often happens, that acts as a peacemaker. And what's more, it does so through the Olympic Games, which have always been an event designed to unite peoples, to promote their brotherhood through (fair, if possible) sporting competition. And so, in the midst of extremely high tension for North Korean nuclear affairs, a soothing signal is sent by neighboring South Korea, which in a month will host the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and has made it known that it welcomes I welcome leader Kim Jong-Un's opening on North Korea's presence at the Games.
From Seoul, President Moon Jae-in has in fact sent signs of a thaw, inviting the ministries of Unification and Sports "to rapidly implement measures to restart a North-South dialogue" on the participation of the North Korean delegation. Moon, in the first cabinet meeting of 2018, then notes that the “improvement of relationships cannot be separated” from the nuclear node. And he proposes to the North to hold "high-level" bilateral talks on January 9 in order to encourage the participation of the Pyongyang delegation in the Winter Olympic Games.
“I hope that the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Culture and Sports will quickly develop the necessary measures for a speedy restart of the North-South dialogue and to allow the participation of the North Korean delegation in the PyeongChang Olympic Games (scheduled from 9 February 25th, ed)”, noted Moon as he opened the proceedings of the first cabinet meeting of 2018. Seoul's response to the opening made yesterday on the point by Kim for a clarification of relations with the Olympic option (“We are ready to take several steps, including sending a delegation. To this end, the two Koreas should meet immediately,” she said) was swift.
“I see President Kim Jong-un's comments on sending a North Korean delegation to the PyeongChang games and holding a government-level dialogue as a response to our intention to make PyeongChang an innovative opportunity to improve South-North relations and to establish peace", observed Moon, in the report of the Yonhap agency, noting that "the improvement of relations" cannot be detached from the solution of the nuclear issue in Pyongyang
