Olympics, Pyongyang sends a delegation for the closing ceremony

It is likely that President Moon will also receive them in private. No meeting with the US representation led by Trump's daughter.


Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A high-level North Korean delegation will be present at the closing ceremony of the Olympics. This was announced by Seoul officials, reporting a communication received today from Pyongyang.

Kim Yong-chol, deputy director of the ruling party of the Workers of Korea (Wpk), will lead a delegation of eight people. The group includes Ri Son-gwon, head of the state agency for inter-Korean affairs, and is expected to arrive in Seoul on February 25, stopping for three days.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the head of Seoul's presidential office, President Moon Jae-in is expected to receive the delegation both during the ceremony and behind closed doors with a view to "improving inter-Korean relations and bringing peace to the Korean peninsula, including the denuclearization of the North ". However, Pyongyang representatives are unlikely to meet the American delegation led by President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka.

The presence of Kim Yong-chol could be a cause for controversy: he is on the "black list" of North Korean officials unilaterally drawn up by Seoul and Washington, and is suspected of having orchestrated two attacks in 2010: the sinking of the South Korean Cheonan warship and the Yeonpyeong Island bombing.