We start on the Korean Peninsula with some good news for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK has announced that it will send a 140-member art troupe to the Games. The move raises cautious optimism for renewed diplomacy between the two sides. CGTN's Jessica Stone has the details.

JESSICA STONE WASHINGTON DC "The two Koreas are considering assembling a joint women's hockey team for the Olympic games. And Pyongyang has now agreed to send a 140 member art-troupe to include singers, dancers and a 80-member orchestra."

The orchestra is due to perform during the Olympics -- in Seoul and again near Pyeongchang, the South's Unification Ministry said in a statement. The North's chief cultural delegate was quoted by Yonhap News Service saying: "We believe that a great symphony will be enthusiastically received. Choi Moon-soon, governor for the Games' host province, said the two countries' orchestras may hold a joint concert. It's been 17 years since that happened."

LEE WOO-SUNG HEAD, SOUTH KOREAN DELEGATION "The DPRK said during the talks it plans to play traditional folk songs which fit the mood for unification and are well known to both sides, as well as classical music. So we expressed our position that it will be advisable to perform pure artistic folk songs or classical music."

JESSICA STONE WASHINGTON DC "The troop plans to cross the border on foot. And both sides scheduled a follow-up meeting for Wednesday. Meanwhile, ROK Sports Ministry spokesman Hwang Seong Un said that Seoul and Pyongyang have an agreement in principle to field a joint women's ice hockey team. But the International Olympic Committee has to sign off first. If a joint team is put together -- it would be the first unified Olympic team ever."

There's a meeting at IOC headquarters in Switzerland on Saturday. Separately, Yonhap News is reporting that ROK Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will come to Washington Tuesday to Saturday and meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to exchange views on the DPRK nuclear issue and the status of joint talks. Jessica Stone, CGTN, Washington.