US won't meet N Korean officials during Pyeongchang Winter Games

The United States has said that it would not meet with North Korean officials on the sidelines of the next month's Pyeongchang Olympics.

"There are no plans to meet with North Korean officials," Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said on Friday.

Adams also confirmed that the U.S. did not object to North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics, despite tough international sanctions imposed upon them, the Yonhap news agency reported.

"The United States does not determine which countries may or may not participate in Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games were born out of an ideal for peaceful sporting competition amongst nations. In that spirit, the United States looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month," she added.

 

Earlier, North and South Korea agreed to field a joint women's ice hockey team and march together under a unified Korea flag at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The two Koreas also agreed to hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang on the North Korean east coast before the Winter Games.

Also, a joint training will be conducted among the ski athletes at Masikryong Ski Resort in North Korea.

The Winter Olympics is scheduled to take place at South Korea's Pyeongchang from February 9-25.

The development between the two countries has brought some ease into their strained relations.

The two sides have also agreed to hold military talks on solving border tensions.

After the working-level talks, another meeting is scheduled to take place between the two countries on January 20.