The Korea Herald: Gloomy Outlook for Joint Olympics Team, With NK IOC Member’s Skepticism

President of South Korea Moon Jae-in has been in office for two months and in terms of sports is fulfilling expectations to initiate a more cooperative tone in his country’s interactions with North Korea. Moon “wishes to restore inter-Korean dialogue through cross-border cooperation for the upcoming winter games,” reports Jung Min-kyung for the Korea Herald. The situation reflects a marked change from 2013, when South Korea’s then-conservative government rejected Chang Ung’s offer to co-host the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Chang is the sole member of the International Olympic Committee from North Korea, and on a recent visit to South Korea, he asserted that the PyeongChang Winter Olympics – commencing on February 9, 2018 – are too soon for the parties to come together. Proposed areas of cooperation had included a joint women’s hockey team and use of the North Korean Masikryong ski resort to hold skiing events. – YaleGlobal