The American and North Korean delegations made it clear that the two do not have any intentions of meeting each other during this Olympics’ closing ceremony in PyeongChang. Despite the information conveyed by official representatives of both countries, there are a couple of hints that have recently emerged and all point toward possible secret negotiations between the two countries.
Delegations from both nations have added a last-minute name for attendance in the closing ceremony. The two added names are of individuals that have been key elements in the United States and North Korea relations.
North Korea Delegation
The North Korean delegation is led by Mr. Kim Yong Chol. Chol is the chairperson of North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party Central Committee. The delegation arrived in South Korea on Sunday morning with the last minute addition Choe Kang Il. Mr. Choe Kang Il deals with United States affairs.
The US delegation is led by first daughter Ivanka Trump. The team arrived in South Korea earlier in the week with the last minute addition Allison Hooker. Hooker is a National Security Officer who also specializes in Korean affairs. In 2014, Hooker was in North Korea and was part of six-party nuclear negotiations.
The two delegations confirmed that they would not hold any meetings with each other and they have reaffirmed this even after their arrival. Upon Ivanka Trump’s arrival in South Korea, she stressed again that she is in the country only to cheer for Team USA, not for a meeting with the North Koreans.
North Korea Asia Pacific Peace Committee
To stress the point even further, North Korea’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee blasted the Trump administration. The committee said that there would not be any face-to-face talks between North Korea and the United States for one hundred or two hundred years. They added that they would not beg for dialogue with the US.
The statements from the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee were not only triggered by their anger towards the US president’s administration but also in reaction to Vice President Mike Pence’s Thursday comment. Pence referred to leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong as “a central pillar of the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet.”
The schedule for the North Korean delegation is not known and this is raising eyebrows. South’s Unification Ministry was mostly open with Kim Yo-jong’s schedule at the opening ceremony. However, it is currently keeping the plans of the leaders in attendance a mystery.
