|
Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon province,
told Reuters the orchestra may hold a joint concert with South
Korean musicians during the Games, which open in Pyeongchang,
just 80 km (50 miles) from the world’s most heavily fortified
border, on Feb. 9.
North Korea, still technically at war with the South, is
pursuing missile and nuclear programs in defiance of U.N.
Security Council sanctions and regularly threatens to destroy
the United States and its two key Asian allies, South Korea and
Japan.
But a bellicose war of words with the United States has eased in
recent days with talk of the North taking part in the Olympics.
The two Koreas met on Monday to discuss North Korea sending
artists to the Olympics after Pyongyang said it would send
athletes, cheerleaders, performers and others to the Games
during its first formal dialogue with the South in more than two
years.
"At the moment, I think North Korea's orchestra is most likely
to come and I heard the North has proposed (to send) their
orchestra," the governor said.
"That would be about 140 people, and we may have to change the
concert hall... Things are progressing faster and larger than we
thought," he said, without elaborating on the venue.
Choi met North Korean sports officials last month in China on
the sidelines of a youth soccer tournament and proposed the
North's delegation travel to South Korea via a cruise, sparking
concerns such move would violate the U.N. Security Council
resolutions.
"I think there would be no problem," he said. "Our
interpretation is that matters related to Olympics are not
subject to sanctions."
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Jane Chung; Editing by Nick
Macfie)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
