Under a plan agreed to Wednesday during the latest round of talks on North Korea’s participation in the games to be held in South Korea, the two sides said they had reached an agreement to combine their women’s hockey teams at the Pyeongchang Games.
At the same time, they struck a deal for both Korean teams to march together in the Opening Ceremonies under a blue and white flag showing a unified peninsula – as they have done at previous sporting events, including Olympic Games.
Marching together and forming a unified hockey team would bring the estranged countries closer together than simply having North Korea participate in the games, South Korean president Moon Jae-in said Wednesday while visiting athletes at the National Training Center south of Seoul.
“I believe our people and people around the world will be moved while watching such a sight,” he said, according to pool reports from his visit, which came before the agreement was reached. “It will also mark a good start to improving South-North Korea ties for the future.”
(c) 2018, The Washington Post · Anna Fifield
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