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Friday, February 23, 2018, 22:53
ROK, DPRK to hold talks on Winter Paralympics
By Xinhua & agencies
Friday, February 23, 2018, 22:53 By Xinhua & agencies

Democratic People's Republic of Korea's chief delegate Ri Son-gwon (center) and his delegation cross the borderline to attend inter-Korea talks at the border truce village of Panmunjom on Jan 9, 2018. (AFP)

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will hold a working-level dialogue next week to discuss the DPRK's participation in the Winter Paralympics, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.     

The ROK offered Tuesday to hold the working-level talks, and the DPRK accepted the proposal earlier in the day, according to the unification ministry.

The dialogue will be held from 10 am local time on Feb 27 at Tongilgak, a DPRK building in the truce village of Panmunjom, which straddles the two Koreas   

The dialogue will be held from 10 am local time (0100 GMT) on Feb 27 at Tongilgak, a DPRK building in the truce village of Panmunjom, which straddles the two Koreas.     

ALSO READ: ROK's Moon shakes hands with sister of DPRK leader

Seoul will send a three-member delegation, led by Lee Joo-tae, director general of the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation bureau at the unification ministry, to the working-level talks.     

The Winter Paralympics is scheduled for March 9-18 at the ROK's east county of Pyeongchang, where the 23rd Winter Olympics is underway.     

The DPRK already sent its athletes and cheerleaders to the ROK-hosted winter sports event. It has notified the ROK of its plan to dispatch a high-ranking delegation to the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

READ MORE: ROK official for co-hosting Asian Games with DPRK

The DPRK delegation will be led by Kim Yong-chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea who doubles as the director of the United Front Department in charge of inter-Korean relations.

During the senior-level inter-Korean talks in January, the DPRK agreed to send its athletes, cheerleaders and artists to the Winter Paralympics.

The DPRK's participation in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games helped ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

But as the United States is due to announce new sanctions against the DPRK to further pressure Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile program, the latest detente between the two Koreas may be jeopardized. 

The new US sanctions will be announced while Trump's daughter, Ivanka, is visiting the ROK to attend a dinner with ROK President Moon Jae-in and the closing ceremony of the Games.

A senior US administration official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, called the new penalties "the largest package of new sanctions against the North Korea regime," without giving details. 

The DPRK is also referred to as North Korea.

Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and met with Moon.

The younger Kim delivered the DPRK leader's invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang at a convenient time.

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