North Korea 'likely' to attend Olympics in South, says official

[pbmus]

A North Korean Olympic official has said that his country is "likely to participate" in next month's Winter Olympic Games, reports say.

Chang Ung, Pyongyang's representative to the International Olympic Committee, reportedly made the comment at Beijing International Airport on Saturday.

Mr Chang is believed to be travelling to Switzerland to discuss the subject, Japanese news agency Kyodo reports.

It comes a day after Pyongyang agreed to official talks with South Korea.

US President Donald Trump, who has exchanged insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said the talks showed his "tough stance" had worked. He said he wanted the talks to go "beyond the Olympics.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42589231

[Sneederbunk]

1. NK is lucky to have an Olympic team on hand.

Too bad this is not Summer Olympics. NK Runners could just keep on running.

[brush]

2. Expect multiple defections.

[dalton99a]

3. North Korea has a long history at the Olympics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/01/03/why-the-olympics-matter-when-it-comes-to-north-korea/

Pyongyang has sent athletes to every Summer Olympics since 1972, except for two it boycotted — the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul.

The country has won 54 medals at Summer Olympics, including 16 gold medals, with weightlifting and wrestling its most successful sports. Given the country's small size and small gross domestic product, its performance has been relatively successful.

Part of North Korea's success in the games no doubt comes from sheer political will. Successful athletes often enjoy well-funded facilities and relatively luxurious lifestyles, compared with their peers, North Korea analyst Christopher Green told WorldViews last year, although the risk of defection means that they often lead cloistered lives while in the Olympic Village.

They have also won two medals at the Winter Games