The North Korean sports and media delegation will arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday.
According to the Unification Ministry, the North Korean delegation comprising 280 individuals will take a western land-route to arrive at the inter-Korean checkpoint in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, at 9:30 a.m.
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North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk photographed at an airport in Beijing on Jan. 23. Yonhap |
The delegation will consist of four North Korean National Olympic Committee members, including Sports Minister Kim Il-guk, a 229-member cheering squad, and a taekwondo demonstration group of 26 individuals. The delegation will also include 26 members from the North Korean media, the Unification Ministry said.
According to reports, the North Korean cheering squad will attend North Korean athletes’ games and joint women’s ice hockey team matches. The North Korean cheerleaders are also said to be planning to attend some events in which South Korean athletes are competing.
The North Korean taekwondo demonstration team will hold four performances in collaboration with a South Korean taekwondo team. The first performance will be held ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics’ opening ceremony Friday, and the second performance on the following day in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The remaining two performances will be held in Seoul on Feb. 12 and 14.
The sports and media delegation’s arrival in the South will be followed two days later by the arrival of a high-level delegation. The high-level representatives of North Korea will be led by Kim Yong-nam, the ceremonial head of the communist state, who will arrive in the South on Friday on a three-day schedule.
By Choi He-suk (
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
