The New Year has brought the potential for an improvement in relations on the Korean peninsula and the possible participation of the DPRK in the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The hosts have offered to hold a high-level talk with the DPRK on January 9th with the offer coming one day after DPRK leader Kim Jong Un delivered a peace overture in his New Year Day speech. Shane Hamn reports from Seoul.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un is getting into the Olympic spirit.

In his annual New Year's address, Kim called for lower military tensions and expressed his willingness to participate in next month's Winter Olympic Games.

KIM JONG UN DPRK SUPREME LEADER "The Winter Games to be held in South Korea will be a good occasion for the country. We sincerely hope that the Winter Olympics will be a success. We are prepared to take various steps, including the dispatch of the delegation. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility."

South Korea immediately welcomed the DPRK leader's comments.

The Unification Ministry, which is charge of DPRK affairs, has proposed holding high-level talks next week at the truce border of Panmunjom.

President Moon Jae-in is calling for quick action to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

He believes improved relations can eventually lead to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

MOON JAE-IN SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT "An improvement in inter-Korean relations is not a separate path from efforts to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue. I ask the foreign ministry to closely consult with our allies and the international community to push for an improvement in inter-Korean relations and to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue simultaneously."

South Korea and the DPRK have tried to improve relations through sports in the past. The impact on political relations, however, has been limited.

PROFESSOR YANG MOO-JIN UNIVERSITY OF NORTH KOREAN STUDIES "The DPRK's leader has expressed a willingness to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics without attaching any major conditions. Therefore, this is an opportunity for situations on the Korean Peninsula to transition from a state of tension to a state of dialogue."

SHANE HAHM SEOUL Some experts say the DPRK leader's New Year's address is an attempt to weaken the South Korea-U.S. alliance. President Moon has said he's willing to sit down and talk with the DPRK if it helps restore relations and leads to peace on the Korean Peninsula. The concern, though, is that that would conflict with the U.S.'s policy of pressuring Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons through sanctions. Many are now watching to see if the DPRK's participation in the Olympics comes to fruition and under what circumstances. SH, CGTN, SEOUL.