[PyeongChang 2018] S. Korea preparing for joint ski training in N. Korea: official

South Korea is preparing for joint skiing training with North Korea at a ski resort in the North as earlier agreed as Pyongyang has not said anything unusual following its cancellation of a planned cultural event, Seoul officials said Tuesday.

North Korea's abrupt cancellation late Monday of a joint performance slated for Sunday at Mount Kumgang has raised questions about whether scheduled joint skiing exercises or even the North's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will proceed as planned.

The two sides are expected to kick off the combined two-day training at Masikryong Ski Resort near the North Korean eastern port city of Wonsan as early as Wednesday. 

"There are no unusual signs from North Korea when it comes to the ski training," said an official at Seoul's unification ministry. "We are preparing for the event on the grounds that inter-Korean agreements will be implemented. ... We don't think there is any disagreement among the two Koreas over the issue."

The South has yet to announce the date for the training as it is apparently still in consultation with Washington to check whether the South's plan could hamper the international sanctions regime.

Multilayered sanctions targeting North Korea seem to leave the South in a limited room in preparing for joint events. Seoul is not allowed to directly offer cash to the North under UN sanctions. Delivery of petrochemical products is also restricted.

South Korea plans to use a chartered plane to fly its non-Olympic skiers to North Korea for the training. To this end, Seoul plans to use Kalma Airport, a military airfield in the North, to transport its skiers to the ski resort, a roughly 45-minute drive from the airport.

Critics said that if Seoul charters a plane from an airline that is currently providing flights to the United States, the move would violate US sanctions.

US President Donald Trump announced a set of sanctions in September that include banning vessels and aircraft that have visited North Korea from visiting the US within 180 days.

On Monday, the North called off the scheduled cultural event at a scenic resort on Mt. Kumgang in the North, claiming South Korean media outlets are instigating "insulting" sentiment about what it called its "sincere" measures about its participation in the Feb. 9-25 Games.

"North Korea may have felt burdens in preparing for a massive event in the North within a short period of time," the official said, when asked about the government's assessment of the reason for the North's cancellation.

The ministry said that it plans to fax a letter to the North over Pyongyang's unilateral cancellation, without elaborating.(Yonhap)