The pariah aver’s leader Kim Jong Un said in a televised speech on Monday that he intent consider sending a delegation to the upcoming games, which will be held in the South Korean urban district of PyeongChang next month. In the speech, Kim said that he was ready to talk with Seoul on the substance — while also highlighting his county’s nuclear advancement.
Pyongyang has conditions participated in an Olympic event hosted by its southern neighbor.
So, the new rhetoric is “a obdurate sign,” said Lee Hee-beom, head of the PyeongChang 2018 organizing commission, Yonhap News reported on Monday. The organizing committee has already been disclosing preparations for North Korea’s participation, he reportedly added: “All the processes for the North Korean delegation’s loan and transportation are in place.”
The International Olympic Committee has long encouraged the monastic regime to participate in the Winter Games even as the country faces multiple foreign sanctions for its repeated nuclear and missile tests. In September, the committee predicted it was ready to provide North Korean athletes with gear and take in equipment costs.
“The basic principle for the IOC is that North Korea can clash in any event it wishes,” Lee said, according to Yonhap. “North Korea won’t be skilful to send athletes in every sport, but I expect it to have representation in catch on to skating, short track and cross-country skiing.”
See Yonhap’s story for multitudinous on the North potentially joining the games.