Seoul will continue high-level talks with Pyongyang, remaining "open-eyed". "We understand North Korea better than anyone else," says South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, responding to those from all over the world who are urging them not to let their guard down in the face of Kim Jong Un's recent openings, that could try to buy time to carry out its own armaments program. "But we have to make the most of this opportunity," he adds.
Among others, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned against Pyongyang that he had been invited to remain "realistic and lucid". "I think we understand North Korea better than anyone else, having dealt with North Korea for decades, having had a tumult of discussion, and there has been no significant commitment in the recent past, but this is an opportunity to make all sorts of theories about why they are here.
There are, of course, ongoing calculations by North Korean executives about their actions, but in the end we have to make the most of them. "
Sports has opened the way for dialogue:
North Korea will see its athletes compete in four sports disciplines at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics: they are figure skating, downhill and cross country skiing, and women's hockey thanks to the unique team that will be presented with South Korea for the first time.
This was announced today by Lee Hee-beom, head of the organizing committee of PyeongChang 2018, noting that the agreement was reached yesterday in the third round of dialogue between South and North.