Koreas resume basketball event after 15-year hiatus

South Korea‘s delegation for the inter-Korean basketball event arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, reviving the inter-Korean sporting event after a 15-year hiatus. 

The South Korean delegation is led by Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, marking the first visit by a unification minister to the North in 11 years.

Along with Cho, three government officials and Korean Sport and Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung are leading the delegation. The delegation also includes 50 male and female athletes, 30 members of the media as well as a number of support staff. 

Ahead of departure, Cho said that he hopes for the event to further improve inter-Korean relations. 

“(I) hope the PyeongChang Olympics becomes the cornerstone of peace, and the Pyongyang unification basketball game to be an opportunity for furthering peace on the peninsula,” Cho said. 

He added that the event is part of putting the Panmunjeom Declaration into action, and that the timing of the event falling on the anniversary of the July 4 inter-Korean declaration adds meaning to the event. 

The July 4 Declaration issued in 1972 was the first joint declaration between the two Koreas, and states that unification should be achieved without relying on foreign powers and military force. 

The inter-Korean basketball friendlies started in 1999, when two events were held in Seoul and Pyongyang. Although the two sides had agreed to hold the event on an annual basis, the games were discontinued after the third event held in Pyongyang in 2003. 

At this year’s event, South Korean basketball players will engage in games with North Korean athletes on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, the athletes from the two sides will be mixed into teams named “peace” and “prosperity.” On the following day, the two Koreas will play against each other. 

According to government sources, the basketball event will provide an opportunity for Cho to discuss other outstanding issues with high-level North Korean officials. 

While neither side has revealed details of the South Korean officials’ itinerary in Pyongyang, it has been speculated that Cho could meet with Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.

There have also been speculations that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a basketball fan, may attend the games.

By Choi He-suk and Joint Press Corps (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)