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News > Sport

A Unified Korea? South and North Korea to Discuss Joint Women's Ice Hockey Team for Winter Olympics

  • Ri Son-gwon (right), head of the North Korean delegation, shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Cho Myoung-gyon during their meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday.

    Ri Son-gwon (right), head of the North Korean delegation, shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Cho Myoung-gyon during their meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday. | Photo: Reuters

Published 13 January 2018
Opinion

The idea for a unified women's hockey team comes only days following Pyongyang's promise to send a large sports delegation to the Games.
 

South Korea has suggested teaming up with North Korea to present a unified women's ice hockey team at next month's Winter Olympics. Roh Tae-Kang, South Korea's vice-minister for sport, said the idea emerged during last week talks between the divided Koreas, the first official dialogue between the two countries in more than two years.

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The idea for a unified women's hockey team comes only days following Pyongyang's promise to send a large sports delegation to the Games. They also discussed the possibility of having athletes from the North and South march together when the competition commences on Feb. 9.

However, North Korea has yet to respond to the idea of a unified women's hockey team idea, according to the Guardian.

Roh stated that he would appeal to the International Olympic Committee, IOC, to support the idea and hoped other participating countries would back the concept of a unified Korean women's hockey team.

Further talks between North and South Korean concerning Olympic arrangements will continue on Monday in the Panmunjom.

During his New Year's address, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed willingness to establish dialogue with South Korea. At the time he said he may send an athletic delegation to this year's Winter Olympics, which will be hosted in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang.

Officials in Seoul responded favorably, proposing talks with North Korea at the border truce village of Panmunjom on Jan. 9. North and South Korea also re-established a border hotline that had been disconnected for almost two years.

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