South Korean athletes fly to North for joint training event

NewsBharati    31-Jan-2018
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Seoul, January 31: After re-launch of inter Korean talk, the two countries agreed to send unified women hockey team to Winter Olympics. South Korea sent a 45-person delegation on a two-day trip to North Korea to begin a joint training program at the Masikryong ski resort in North Korea.

The delegation including roughly 30 athletes flew in a chartered Asiana Airlines plane on Wednesday from Yangyang International Airport in northeastern South Korea. On their way back on Thursday, 10 North Korean athletes will accompany them. Twelve North Korean female ice hockey players are already practicing with South Korean players for the unified hockey team.

"I feel a bit tense, but I think this will be a fun experience," South Korean alpine skier Kim Hyun-soo said before departing for North Korea. "When else would I be able to visit North Korea?" but he also said this raising question about post games future.

There are various sanctions imposed against North Korea by the United States bit in this case US allowed the flight, as well as South Korea, set it up in order not to conflict with existing sanction. “Negotiations were made (with the United States) to avoid conflict with sanctions for this time only,” South Korea’s spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said.