Feb 25, 2018
A North Korean delegation led by a controversial general has crossed into South Korea for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Pyeongchang.
Gen Kim Yong-chol is blamed for the torpedoing of a South Korean warship in 2010, with the loss of 46 seamen. Pyongyang denies any involvement.
Families of the victims and South Korean conservative MPs held a protest, trying to block his trip at the border.
The sports diplomacy comes at a time of improved ties between the two Koreas.
At the Winter Olympics, both North and South Korea marched under one flag at the opening ceremony, and later fielded a unified women’s ice hockey team.
However, experts have cautioned that the latest developments do not put an end to underlying regional tensions, particularly following last year’s nuclear and missile tests carried out by the North.
The US delegation at the Olympics – which includes President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka – has ruled out meeting the North Korean officials.
On Friday, Washington announced a set of fresh sanctions against the North.
The Korean peninsula has been divided since the 1950-53 war and the two sides have never signed a peace treaty.
