North and South Korea have confirmed they are to field a joint women’s ice hockey team and will march under a pro-unification flag at next month’s Winter Olympics, in the clearest sign yet of a thaw in tensions between the two countries.
The two sides are to present their plan for a “peace games” to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the weekend, following three days of talks in the border village of Panmunjom.
The South Korean unification ministry said the two countries had also exchanged opinions on the size of the North Korean team, joint cultural events and the possible use of the Masikryong ski resort in North Korea.
North Korea also offered to send 230 members of its all-female cheerleading squad to the Games in Pyeongchang, which open on 9 February.
Reports said the delegation would probably walk across the demilitarised zone, the heavily armed border separating the two Koreas, in a highly symbolic move.
Arrangements for North Korean athletes to compete in Pyeongchang have been made at breakneck speed since the start of the year, when North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, offered to send a delegation to the Games.