N. Korean Team Arrives

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea has dispatched an advance team to the South for on-site inspections of Olympics venues ahead of PyeongChang 2018 next month. Crossing the border this morning, they headed for Jinje, Gangwon-do Province. Meanwhile, North Korean women’s ice hockey athletes have also arrived in the South for joint training with the unified Korean team in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.

[Pkg]

North Korea's advance team and women's ice hockey team visited South Korea via an overland route. Led by Yoon Yong-bok, a deputy director at North Korea's Sports Ministry, the eight-member advance team will stay in South Korea for three days. Upon its arrival, the team moved to Inje, Gangwon-do Province. They visited Inje Speedium, a potential residence for visiting North Korean cheerleaders. They then moved to Gangneung to check out Gangneung Ice Arena. The team will also inspect other Olympic facilities, including the athletes' village. The advance team will travel to PyeongChang on Friday. Fifteen North Korean female ice hockey players headed to Jincheon, Chungcheong-do province, where their South Korean counterparts are training. The two Koreas have agreed to form a unified ice hockey team for the PyeongChang Olympic Games. The single inter-Korean ice hockey team will boost teamwork through joint training in Jincheon. It will then experience its first real game by holding a friendly match with Sweden on February 4. A South Korean advance team will return (returned) Thursday afternoon from a three-day visit to North Korea to check out the Masikryong Ski Resort and cultural performance facilities in the Kumkangsan Mountain area.