The DPRK has cancelled a trip by an "advance team" of its Samjiyon orchestra to South Korea. Pyongyang informed Seoul through the reopened Panmunjom communication channel. The 140-member art troupe was scheduled to perform in South Korea during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games next month. Seoul has urged the DPRK to explain the abrupt change in plans, saying "all preparations have been made for the visit". It was unclear whether the visit was permanently cancelled or postponed.