Inter-korean Olympic Events Begin this Week

Joint events hosted by North and South Koreas will begin this week ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to be held next week, according to related ministries, Sunday.

Among the scheduled events, inter-Korean ski training at the North's Masikryong resort is expected to take place first. The two-day training session will begin Wednesday at the earliest.

North and South Korean skiers will train in alpine and cross-country skiing at the resort in Wonsan on the country's east coast. The skiers from the South are reserves for the national team.

An inter-Korean cultural event at Mount Geumgang is also expected to take place on Feb. 4. Performers from the North and the South are likely to perform for one hour each. The South is considering staging K-pop performances and the North, traditional folk songs. A 600-member audience from Pyongyang and Seoul will fill the hall.

A team from the South visited the North last week to examine the performance venue at Mount Geumgang, facilities at Masikryong, and the Kalma International Airport in case South Koreans could travel by air.

Remaining details will be arranged via the Panmunjeom communication channel.

The North Korean delegation coming to the Feb. 9-25 Games will be composed of athletes, a 230-member cheering squad, a 140-member music troupe, a 30-member taekwondo demonstration team, reporters and high-level officials.

North Korean athletes will come to the South on Feb. 1. The cheering squad, taekwondo demonstration team and reporters will arrive on Feb. 7.

The North Korean music troupe will come to the South on Feb. 6 for performances that will take place in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Feb. 8 and Seoul on Feb. 11.

Last week, officials from the North visited the South to inspect stadiums, performance halls...