North and South Korea to march under a unified flag at the Winter Olympics

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North and South Korea to march under a unified flag at the Winter Olympics

south korea us marines Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

A South Korean, right, and U.S. Marine from III-Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan, ski on the snow with a flag depicting the logo of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games during their joint military winter exercise in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Dec. 19, 2017.

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  • North and South Koreans will march under a unified Korean flag at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
  • They will also jointly train at a ski resort, according to South Korean media.
  • The inclusion of North Korea marks an opportunity for improved optics and public relations, but does not necessarily mean the risk of conflict will decrease.


North and South Korea, two countries still technically at war since 1950, will march under the flag of a unified Korea during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, according to Bloomberg News.

The Koreas will also engage in joint training at a ski resort, according to South Korea's Yonhap News.

The news of the Koreas uniting for the Olympics comes after the first major talks between the countries in two years, which began amid soaring tensions between the US, its ally South Korea, and North Korea.

South Korea's newly elected President Moon Jae In floated the idea of North Korea participating in the games early in his presidency, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un expressed a willingness to engage in talks about the Olympics during his New Years address, during which he also threatened the US with nuclear annihilation.

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The unified Korean flag and the inclusion of North Korean athletes into the game were both discussed during the original talks, but only recently confirmed.

Despite the invitation, North Korea has few athletes capable of competing in the games.

Pyongyang will also reportedly send a 180-member orchestra to the games, but it's closely tied to North Korean propaganda that glorifies the country's missile and nuclear programs and the regime, which commits human rights violations.

While the inclusion in the Olympics will may seem a bright spot for multilateral relations, President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser reportedly dismissed the talks as "diversions," and his Secretary of State said on Wednesday that he would not rule out a military strike on North Korea.