Kim Jong-Un visits the Masik Peak ski resort. Photo: North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
After landmark talks leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the North said it will officially be sending its own delegation of athletes and will host athletes from the South at its luxury ski resort, Masik Pass.
Officials from both North and South Korea have been engaged in a series of negotiations following a New Year’s Day speech delivered by DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-un in which he expressed his country’s desire to send athletes south to the 2018 Games.
According to the New York Times, North Korea says it will have a delegation of 550 athletes – 150 of which will participate in the Paralympic Games in March. The exact headcount, though, will be finalized this Saturday in Switzerland when the International Olympic Committee brings together representatives from North and South Korea. No word on how many potential DPRK athletes are skiers and/or snowboarders.
The Times also explains that North and South Korea will march under the same flag – a “unified Korea” flag that they haven’t marched under in over a decade. They will also field a joint women’s hockey team.
Reports offer few additional details surrounding the DPRK’s invite to South Korean skiers to come train with North Korean athletes at Masik Pass, like When? And, why?
In addition to being a virtual ghost town, Masik Pass has been embroiled in controversy since its inception. For one, the breakneck speed with which it was completed raised–and continues to raise–human rights concerns. And in January of 2016, a group of professional snowboarders rescinded an invitation to the resort following a controversial nuclear weapons test.
Point being, a million things could derail South Korean athletes visiting Kim Jong-un’s pet project in the mountains.
