15 January 2018•Update: 15 January 2018
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea has offered to send a "great symphony" to next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, as the two sides held a follow-up meeting to last Tuesday's first inter-Korean dialogue in over two years.
Monday's working-level talks on the North's side of the border focused upon Pyongyang's earlier proposal to organize a performance at PyeongChang 2018.
"We believe that a great symphony will be enthusiastically received," North Korean chief delegate and performing arts bureau director Kwon Hyok-bong said at the meeting, according to local news agency Yonhap.
While it was not immediately clear what "great symphony" referred to, Kwon was joined in the talks by Hyon Song- -- the leader of the North's famous all-female Moranbong Band, which was established by the reclusive state's leader Kim Jong-un.
In a further development Monday, Pyongyang proposed to meet again this Wednesday for a wider discussion on its Olympic participation by officials, athletes and even a joint hockey team with the South.
With the clock ticking before the event begins on Feb. 9, the Koreas will also meet the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland on Saturday.
So far there has been no indication of the North fulfilling its threat via state-run media Sunday to boycott PyeongChang 2018, just as the country did when Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics 30 years ago.
Pyongyang was apparently unhappy with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for saying American pressure was a factor in bringing about dialogue.
The North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper went on to accuse the U.S. Monday of "throwing cold water on an atmosphere of reconciliation" by continuing to emphasize sanctions against Pyongyang.
However, South Korea has also repeatedly insisted that ongoing talks will not undermine sanctions and efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
