The International Olympic Committee has agreed to allow the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to participate in next month's winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The decision comes just a week after Pyongyang decided to send athletes to the games, following historic high-level meetings between the Olympic committees of the DPRK and South Korea. CGTN's Natalie Carney has more from IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Participation by the DPRK in the Winter Olympics is not always a sure bet. The last time it was the Games of 2010 in Vancouver. But the DPRK's presence in Pyeongchang, just 80 kilometers south of the demilitarized zone that divides north and south, will prove historic, as it will be the first time the two sides of the Korean Peninsula compete as one.

THOMAS BACH IOC PRESIDENT "The IOC today has taken exceptional decisions and has allocated additional quotas for 22 athletes from the NOC of the DPRK who will compete in three sports and five disciplines."

Among them figure skating, short track speed skating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. The committee also agreed to the formation of a joint women's ice hockey team and to allow the athletes from both countries to kick off the games as one.

THOMAS BACH IOC PRESIDENT "Following the wish of the two NOCs, the IOC has approved their request to have their delegation marching together as one under the name Korea at the opening ceremony of the Olympic winter games PyeongChang 2018. This team will enter the stadium under the Korean unification flag."

Throughout the talks, South Korean officials supported the move to include their northern neighbor.

DO JONG-HWAN SOUTH KOREAN MINISTER OF SPORTS "North Korea's participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will present the most dramatic scene in the history of the Olympics. It can be a chance to show the value and power of sports when players from two Koreas march together in the opening ceremony and play games together as a unified team."

NATALIE CARNEY LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND "But there have been questions over the fairness or unfairness to the competition these decisions bring. Not only have the 22 DPRK athletes missed the October 30th deadline to register, but the head of the South Korean women's hockey team says that such a late addition of team members could prove a disadvantage to the team's chemistry."

Many in South Korea are also opposed to the idea, accusing their president, Moon Jae-in, of sacrificing Olympic ideals for diplomatic expediency. The decision of the DPRK to take part in the Olympics follows months of heightened tension between the two sides over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program. Despite questions of ethics, many governments worldwide are applauding the move, seeing it as a step towards thawing those tensions and repairing diplomatic relations.

YANG YANG CHINESE IOC MEMBER "We are very proud that Olympics can bring people together. And that's something we are passionate about. The first step, they have to get together, get a chance and then they can talk to each other, understand each other. Hopefully, one day they can accept each other."

Leaving the press conference, DPRK IOC member Ung Chang reaffirmed his confidence in the decisions.

UNG CHANG DPRK IOC MEMBER "I am very much satisfied. We got results from the meeting, the four party meeting. That is good."

But it has yet to be seen if this positive sportsmanship will translate in the diplomatic arena and whether the Korean reunification flag will grow to fly high or prove a flop. Natalie Carney, CGTN, Lausanne, Switzerland.