NK delegation heads to Seoul for second leg of trip

A North Korean delegation inspecting possible venues here for arts performances will arrive in Seoul on Monday for the second day of its two-day visit. The delegation will return to North Korea later in the day.

The seven-member team, led by the head of the North‘s Samjiyon Orchestra, Hyon Song-wol, is to arrive in Seoul by KTX bullet train from Gangneung, Gangwon Province, to look around candidate venues in Seoul. 

Hyon Song-wol, center, head of a North Korean delegation, arrives at Seoul Station on Jan. 21, 2018. (Yonhap)
As part of the agreement on the North’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, a North Korean cultural performance troupe is scheduled to hold two performances, one each in Seoul and Gangneung.

The team spent the first day in the South inspecting Gangneung Arts Center and a gymnasium dedicated to South Korean marathoner Hwang Young-cho in the same city. 

South Korean people welcome a North Korean delegation at Gangneung Station on Jan. 21, 2018. (Yonhap)
According to reports, the North Korean delegation took more than two hours at the Gangneung Arts Center, while only about 10 minutes were spent at the gymnasium, feeding speculations on the likelihood that the former will be chosen for the Gangeung performance.

In a related development, North Korea on Sunday accepted Seoul’s plan to send an advance team to inspect the Kumgangsan area and Masikryong Ski Resort ahead of a joint skiing training event.

The 12-person South Korean delegation will cross the border into North Korea on Tuesday. 

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)