A high-ranking delegation led by Kim Yong Chol(C), vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, arrives at the inter-Korean transit office in Paju, South Korea, on Feb. 25, 2018. The high-ranking delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) arrived in South Korea Sunday to attend the closing ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics. (Xinhua/Newsis)
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A high-ranking delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) came Sunday to South Korea to attend the closing ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics, boosting hope for a continued dialogue mood on the Korean Peninsula.
The DPRK delegation was led by Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. He was accompanied by Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, as well as six other support staff.
The senior DPRK officials crossed the heavily guarded inter-Korean border via land route earlier in the day and were greeted by Chun Hae-sung, vice unification minister of South Korea, local TV footage showed.
They moved by black sedans to a hotel in central Seoul at around noon local time (0300 GMT), heading toward the east county of PyeongChang some three hours later to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games.
South Korea said earlier this week that Kim's attendance at the closing ceremony, scheduled for Sunday night, will help improve inter-Korean relations and build peace on the Korean Peninsula as he doubles as director of the United Front Department in charge of relations between the two Koreas.
There would be a natural encounter between Kim and Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump who came Friday to South Korea leading a U.S. delegation to cheer on U.S. athletes and attend the closing ceremony.
Kim and Ivanka were expected to take their seats in the VIP box of the main stadium during the closing ceremony, together with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary who accompanied Ivanka to South Korea, told reporters in PyeongChang that the U.S. Olympic delegation had no plan to contact the DPRK officials.
Despite the little possibility for a separate meeting between Kim and Ivanka, there remained a possibility for officials of the United States and the DPRK to have a closed-door contact, according to local media reports.
Ivanka came here with Allison Hooker, a National Security Council official specializing in the Korean Peninsula affairs. From the DPRK side, Kim was accompanied by an official in charge of diplomatic affairs with the United States.
During a dinner meeting with Ivanka at the presidential compound in Seoul Friday, Moon said talks between South Korea and the DPRK must go hand in hand with talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Moon told Ivanka that it would be significant for South Korea and the United States to closely cooperate to enable the inter-Korean talks and the denuclearization talks to make progress together, saying Seoul and Washington must take the opportunity of the current dialogue mood.
During a telephone conversation in January, Moon and Trump shared a possibility for the inter-Korean talks naturally leading to talks between the United States and the DPRK.
