IOC President Thomas Bach will travel to North Korea after the Pyeongchang Games are over.getty images
IOC President Thomas Bach plans to visit North Korea after the Pyeongchang Olympics, "cementing ties with the reclusive state which used the event to restart political dialogue with South Korea," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Bach said that he would "make the visit on the North’s invitation as part of an agreement between the IOC and both North and South Korea." The parties "were still discussing a convenient date," he added. Bach: "All the parties concerned have welcomed this invitation to North Korea. ... We are talking about this convenient date in order to continue the dialogue on the sports side. We will see when this is going to happen." South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been using the Games in his efforts to "break the ice with the North and pave the way for talks over the North’s weapons program." Bach said, "We can set the symbols, we can show that it is worthwhile sitting down together discussing, negotiating, and that then you can come to a good result" (REUTERS, 2/12).
