Organizers of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, "expect long-time adversary North Korea to hold off for as long as possible" on deciding whether to participate in the Games, South Korea’s top sports official said on Tuesday, according to Angela Moon of REUTERS. South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan said, "We are very hopeful and expect them (North Korean athletes) to be able to participate in the Games. At the same time, we do know that this may be a very last-minute decision by North Korea." The IOC is "urging North Korea to participate," which could "help ease" safety and security concerns about the Games arising from Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Do added, "The IOC has expressed their willingness to support North Korea in terms of training costs and other costs related to participating at the Games" (REUTERS, 11/14).
EVEN MORE ACCESSIBLE: YONHAP reported the organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Wednesday that competition venues "will become even more accessible once new railways for bullet trains officially open next month." PyeongChang Organizing Committee Secretary General Yeo Hyung-koo said that high-speed train operation is "just around the corner," and it will allow visitors to travel from the country's main gateway to competition venues in two hours during the Olympics. South Korea will operate KTX bullet trains from Incheon Int'l Airport to Gangneung Station in Gangwon Province, a sub-host city for ice sports located 230km east of Seoul. South Korean railway authorities will run 51 KTX trains per day between Jan. 26 and Feb. 28, with 16 of them leaving Incheon Int'l Airport for Jinbu Station. The remaining 35 trains will depart from three stations in the nation's capital (YONHAP, 11/15).
