Koreas to March Under One Flag at Olympics Opening Ceremony

South Korean soldiers stand as vehicles carrying the South Korean delegation pass at Unification Bridge which leads to the Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju South Korea Wednesday Jan. 17 2018. South Korean delegation departed for Panmunjom

South Korean soldiers stand as vehicles carrying the South Korean delegation pass at Unification Bridge which leads to the Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju South Korea Wednesday Jan. 17 2018. South Korean delegation departed for Panmunjom

South Korea has recently made concessions to the North, including delaying its annual joint-military exercise with the USA - an event that North Korea vehemently opposes - until after the Winter Olympics. North Korean cheerleaders will also be able to view the event for the first time in years, with the North agreeing at the talks on January 17 to send a squad of around 230 people to cheer jointly with South Korean supporters.

Mr Tillerson said that North Korea's recent tests of a thermonuclear warhead and of an intercontinental missile show their "continued progress" in developing an arsenal that is already a global threat.

It also added it would strengthen diplomatic relations with the four regional powers - the US, China, Russia and Japan - over various issues such as the North Korea crisis and historical row while seeking to diversify its diplomatic portfolio in a way that would maximize national interests. The two nations also plan to hold joint training and cultural events, though decisions about which North Korean athletes will compete ultimately will be left to the International Olympic Committee, which plans to meet with both sides Saturday.

If the Trump administration puts enough pressure on North Korea, the Kim family might agree it has no choice but to disarm, Chang said.

"Our unity and our common cause with others in the region, most particularly China and Russian Federation, will remain intact despite North Korea's frequent attempts to divide us and sow dissension", he said.

"I think that reflects a growing South Korean nationalism and identity, rather than a more simple anti-Communism in the older generation", Abrahamian said.

South Korea will pay the entire delegation's expenses, said author and Korea analyst Gordon Chang.

A week after North Korea said it would send a delegation to next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea, the regime's demands have taken on a sinister pattern.

Kim's words prompted the South, which sensed the chance to use the Olympics as a catalyst, to suggest talks.

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On Monday, the two Koreas agreed that a 140-member North Korean art troupe comprising orchestra members, singers and dancers would perform in the South during the Games.

Carrying a unified banner, the two Koreas will march in together during the opening ceremony, a first in over a decade for the two countries still divided by war.

South Korea's government said the timing is too sensitive to comment, the newspaper said.

Beijing and Moscow have supported UN Security Council resolutions to restrict export revenue for North Korean nuclear and missile development.

"Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea". -South Korea military exercise scheduled to take place in the spring.

It is not uncommon for North Korea to throw grand military parades to show off its arsenal. But the Russian efforts to comply with the sanctions regime came under scrutiny after news reports suggested Russian tankers transferred fuel to North Korean tankers at sea past year. How can we let the Olympics become a propaganda opportunity for the world's most oppressive state?

Wednesday's talks included a long list of other plans, including allowing a taekwondo demonstration team and a large cheering squad to travel from the North to the Games.

Younger South Koreans who did not experience the 1950-1953 Korean War or its Cold War aftermath may also have fewer cross-border ties and less desire to reunite the peninsula than earlier generations. Athletes from the North were only recently given the green light to participate at the Games. They have marched together nine times ever since, including in Athens in 2004 the 2006 Winter Olympics and that Asian Winter Games of 2007.

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