N. Korea cancels advance mission’s visit to S. Korea

January 20, 2018

Seoul- North Korea has canceled without giving a reason its plan to send to South Korea an advance delegation to prepare for the dispatch of an art troupe to the South during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which will open on Feb. 9.

Pyongyang abruptly notified Seoul of the cancellation on Friday evening, after conveying to the South Korean side earlier in the day the plan to send the delegation for a two-day visit from Saturday.

On Saturday, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said at a press conference that the country asked North Korea to provide an explanation on the reasons for the cancellation and reschedule the advance delegation's trip.

According to Pyongyang's initial notification, the advance delegation was to be consisted of seven members and to be led by Hyon Song Wol, who heads a North Korean orchestra.

In recent working-level talks, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed that the North Korean art troupe of some 140 members will give performances in South Korea during the Winter Olympics.

They also agreed that the two countries' athletes will march together at the opening ceremony for the Olympics and that North and South Korea will form a joint female ice hockey team for the games.

On Friday, working-level officials of the two countries separately held a meeting with officials of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, to give explanations about what they have agreed so far. Jiji Press