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South Korea may halt sanctions against Pyongyang during Olympics

Seoul may lift its entry ban for a number of North Korean officials linked to Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear program

SEOUL, January 9. /TASS/. Seoul may temporarily suspend some sanctions against Pyongyang if this is needed for facilitating the participation of North Korea’s representatives in the PyeongChang Olympic Games, South Korean Foreign Ministry Spokesman Roh Kyu-deok said.

South Korea may lift its entry ban for a number of North Korean officials linked to Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear program, he said. "To this end, Seoul may consider respective steps jointly with the United Nations Security Council and other concerned states," the spokesman stressed.

During the talks in Panmunjom earlier on Tuesday, North Korea suggested sending to the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang its high-ranking representatives, a taekwondo demonstration team and its dancers and musicians.

South Korea said the two countries’ delegations could march together during the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games.

The first round of dialogue on mending ties between Seoul and Pyongyang was held on Tuesday morning in the Panmunjom inhabited community located on the border between the two countries. Among the issues that topped the agenda of the inter-Korean talks, the first ones since December 2015, were practical steps to improve relations between the two countries, in particular, the possible participation of North Korean athletes in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics due on February 9-25.