Politics
22:08, 23-Feb-2018
S.Korean president says DPRK's Olympic participation improves inter-Korean ties
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US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka arrived in Seoul on Friday to attend the PyeongChang Winter Olympics closing ceremony, where a top Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) general will also be present.
"We're very very excited to attend the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, to cheer for Team USA and to reaffirm our strong and enduring commitment with the people of the Republic of Korea," she said after arriving at Incheon airport on a commercial flight.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in then has a closed-door meeting with Ivanka Trump at the presidential compound for about 35 minutes from 7:30 p.m. local time (1030 GMT), according to Yonhap news agency report.
South Korean President Moon Jae-In, his wife Kim Jung-sook and Ivanka Trump arrive for their dinner at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, February 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo
South Korean President Moon Jae-In, his wife Kim Jung-sook and Ivanka Trump arrive for their dinner at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, February 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo
The meeting, which was arranged before a dinner between Moon and the US delegation, was not made public to the media at the request of the US side.
Yonhap speculated that Moon and Ivanka may have exchanged opinions about talks between the United States and the DPRK, and the possible third inter-Korean summit meeting.
During the dinner meeting, Moon Jae-in said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s participation in the Winter Olympics helped ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations.
"North Korea (DPRK)'s Olympic participation leads to active inter-Korean dialogues, which made a big contribution to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and enhancing inter-Korean relations," Moon said.
Ivanka said the United States reaffirmed its bonds of friendship, cooperation and partnership between the two allies.
The first daughter also said that the US is committed to the maximum pressure campaign to ensure that the Korean Peninsula is denuclearized.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks with Ivanka Trump during their dinner at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, February 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo
South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks with Ivanka Trump during their dinner at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, February 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Among the US delegates attending the dinner at the Blue House were White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, US Senator James Risch, and Allison Hooker, a National Security Council official who specializes in the Korean Peninsula affairs.
From the South Korean side, the presidential chief of staff, the top national security adviser for President Moon, the top presidential policy adviser, and the foreign minister attended the dinner meeting.
The White House said Trump had asked his eldest daughter – who is also one of his top advisers – to travel to PyeongChang to lead up a "high level delegation."
The DPRK will send an eight-member delegation Sunday headed by Kim Yong Chol, a top general who oversees inter-Korean relations for the ruling Workers' Party, Seoul's unification ministry said.
The Games have seen a flurry of cross-border diplomacy, with DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un's sister and US Vice President Mike Pence both attending the opening ceremony in PyeongChang earlier this month.
But officials in both Seoul and Washington say there will not be a meeting between Ivanka Trump and Kim Yong Chol.