South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan on Friday asked the IOC for "continuous interest and support" in North Korea's participation in next year's Winter Games south of the border, according to YONHAP. Do made the remarks in his speech during the closing ceremony of the World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, 240km south of Seoul. IOC President Thomas Bach was also in attendance. The North Korea-led Int'l Taekwondo Federation sent a demonstration team to Muju to perform in the opening and closing ceremonies. Do said, "I sincerely hope that athletes and a cheering squad from North Korea will participate in PyeongChang Winter Olympics Games next February to realize the noble values of the Olympic Games, the harmony of mankind and the promotion of the world peace through sport" (YONHAP, 6/30). YONHAP also reported Bach said that he would "withhold further talks on a joint Korean delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics." He added that he would "discuss the matter later with South Korean President Moon Jae-in." Bach said that the IOC already invited North Korea to compete in PyeongChang in February. He appeared to have indicated that the IOC "may grant North Korean athletes wild card slots if no one from the country qualifies." When asked if wild cards were a possibility, Bach said, "We're supporting athletes from the country to be able to qualify for the Games. All the rest, I'll discuss with President Moon" (YONHAP, 6/30).
BREAKING THE ICE: YONHAP reported inter-Korean cooperation in sports reportedly "may play a bigger role in breaking the current deadlock on the Korean Peninsula, stemming from a recent series of missile launches and nuclear tests carried out by Pyongyang." In a report, Kyonggi University professor Kim Dong-sun said, "Within the realm of social and cultural exchange between the two Koreans, only sports has survived the strained relations. Sports exchanges have often led to breakthroughs in inter-Korean relations." Kim noted that "sports can be an icebreaker" as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un focuses on "fostering sports as a tool to promote nationalism and heighten the regime's status at home and abroad" (YONHAP, 7/2).
