North and South Korea are openly entertaining the idea of unifying their female hockey teams ahead of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang next month, vowing to work together throughout the competition and possibly entering the opening ceremonies side-by-side.
North Korean authorities confirmed the possibility on Friday, outlining a variety of ways the two nations –technically still at war since 1950- will be cooperating ahead of the international games.
Delegates from the communist regime and the staunch US ally will hold high-level negotiations in the coming weeks, ironing out important details that will send North Korean athletes, media, and officials over the heavily guarded border between the warring nations.
According to the Independent, an “offer has been made” by South Korean delegates to walk hand-in-hand with athletes from the hermit kingdom during the prestigious opening ceremonies; possibly ushering in the games under a “unified Korean flag.”
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un stunned global leaders earlier this month when he wished South Korea a “successful” Olympics, adding that both nations will be working together to “ease military tensions” on the peninsula.
DOOMSDAY DELAY: Kim Hopes for SUCCESSFUL Olympics in South Korea
In a rare gesture of friendship and international cooperation, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un wished South Korea “success” in hosting the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games; saying the competition goes “beyond all political division.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the communist despot mentioned the games in his annual New Year’s Day address to the nation, adding that the hermit kingdom would soon dispatch a delegation to Seoul to coordinate sending North Korean athletes to compete in the international competition.
“The Winter Olympic Games that will be held soon in the South will be a good opportunity to display the status of the Korean nation and we sincerely wish that the event will be held with good results,” said Kim.
“We know about the political tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” added International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. “The Olympic Games are about dialogue. They are a symbol of hope and peace.”
Tensions between the United States and North Korea are at an all-time high as Kim Jong Un continues to defy the international community and advance his weapons and missile programs.
Earlier this year, the communist nation was hit with crippling sanctions by the United Nations after North Korea launched an international ballistic missile capable of striking every major American city.
DOOMSDAY DELAY: Kim RE-OPENS COMMUNICATIONS with South Korea
North Korea surprisingly re-opened a pivotal hotline between the hermit kingdom and South Korea on Wednesday, enabling direct communication for the first time in two-years as the two nations ease tensions ahead of this year’s 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
The cross-border channel was first introduced in 1971 as a last-ditch effort to avoid yet another armed conflict on the Korean peninsula, but was shut down in recent years as the relationship between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States rapidly deteriorated.
The hotline sits in the “peace village” of Panmunjom, a ghost town that straddles the heavily fortified de-militarized zone between North and South Korea.
News of its restoration comes just days after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement of good will towards his neighbors south of the border, wishing them success as they prepare to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
“The Winter Olympic Games that will be held soon in the South will be a good opportunity to display the status of the Korean nation and we sincerely wish that the event will be held with good results,” said Kim.