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A special train bearing the logo of the Pyeongchang Olympics arrives at a platform in the Berlin Hauptbanhof for a “Pyeongchang Olympic and Paralympic Support and Publicity Ceremony” hosted by Deutsche Bahn on Jan. 29. (Yonhap News)
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Despite North’s cancellation of an inter-Korean cultural event, other areas of agreement appear on track
South and North Korea plan to hold two days of joint training by skiers at Masikryong Ski Sport in Wonsan, Gangwon Province, starting on Jan. 31, sources reported. The plan suggests even after Pyongyang’s abrupt cancellation of an inter-Korean cultural event planned to take place on Feb. 4 at Mt. Kumgang, other areas of their agreement appear to be going ahead as scheduled. “We do not have any particular differences with the North on the matter of joint training at Masikryong Ski Resort,” a South Korean Ministry of Unification official said on Jan. 30. “We are continuing our final preparations on the assumption that we will be able to go ahead with the scheduled training as agreed upon,” the official added. At vice minister level talks on Jan. 17, the two sides agreed to hold joint training by South and North Korean skiers at North Korea’s Masikryong Ski Resort prior to the opening ceremony for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. A delegation of around 40 members is reportedly being formed for the joint training, including athletes and support staff. The group is scheduled to travel by air between Yangyang Airport on the South Korean side of Gangwon Province and Kalma Airport in Wonsan. The flight course is expected to be similar to the Donghae railway line course used in the past when the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) was building a light-water reactor in the Kumho district of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province following the implementation of the Agreed Framework in 1994. North Korea previously sent an announcement via the Panmunjeom liaison channel at 10:10 pm on Jan. 29 stating that it was canceling a joint cultural event scheduled to take place at Mt. Kumgang on Feb. 4, citing complaints about the South Korean press’s reporting on a military parade scheduled for the anniversary of North Korea’s armed forces on Feb. 8. The announcement stated that, “With the South’s news outlets continuing to propagate public opinion insulting to the sincere measures adopted by North Korea, we are obliged to cancel the event now that they have been taking issue with a celebratory event internal to North Korea.” North Korea also announced the “suspension” of a scheduled Jan. 20 visit to the South by an advance review team for its performance group, only to proceed with the visit a day later on Jan. 21. South Korean government expresses dismay over cancellation of Mt. Kumgang event In a message sent around 12:40 pm on Jan. 30 in the name of Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, the South’s senior representative to high-level inter-Korean talks, to North Korean counterpart and Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland chairman Ri Son-gwon, the South Korean government expressed dismay over the North’s cancellation of the joint cultural event at Mt. Kumgang the evening before. “It said that with these hard-won efforts to improve inter-Korean relations now underway, both South and North need to honor their agreements based on a spirit of mutual respect and understanding,” a Unification Ministry official said of the message. “It also communicated that with the two sides having agreed to actively cooperate for a successful Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, all agreed-upon events should proceed without setbacks,” the official explained. Senior research fellow Cho Seong-ryoul of the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) said, “While North Korea officially cited political factors such as South Korean press reports, it’s likely to have encountered problems internally with preparing for an event involving large numbers of people in a limited time frame.” “It’s very likely that the cancellation [of the Mt. Kumgang event] was based on practical factors,” Cho said. A senior South Korean government official offered a similar assessment. “While I can’t speak conclusively, I suspect North Korea had some issues with preparing in such a short time for a large-scale inter-Korean event at Mt. Kumgang,” the official said. The conclusion is that the short time frame posed practical problems with carrying out the various inter-Korean exchange efforts scheduled for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Indeed, the two sides reached agreements on eleven different points during their vice minister level talks on Jan. 17. If the joint training Masikryong Ski Resort goes off without problems, the remaining schedule for inter-Korean exchange efforts is seen as likely to proceed smoothly. North Korean athletes are scheduled to arrive in the South on Feb. 1, while North Korean performers are expected to arrive on Feb. 6 for one performance each in Gangneung and Seoul. On Feb. 7, a large-scale South Korea visit is scheduled by members of a North Korean Olympic committee delegation, cheerleaders, and a taekwondo demonstration team. By Jung In-hwan and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
