US vows tough sanctions on DPRK as Kim Jong Un sends sister to Olympics
By Jim Spellman
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Just two days before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Games, the US Vice President vowed to impose tough new sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
In the meantime, the DPRK announced that the sister of leader Kim Jong Un will be attending the Games. This will be the first time a member of the ruling family will be setting foot in the South.
The Olympic torch is close at hand, and the athletes are getting in their final training as the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang will soon begin.
A group of cheerleaders from the DPRK has arrived. The athletes from both countries will march together, and players from each side will make up a joint women’s ice hockey team.
Many South Koreans are welcoming the cooperation, even if it’s only temporary.
A volunteer in PyeongChang Olympic Village. /VCG Photo

A volunteer in PyeongChang Olympic Village. /VCG Photo

“Everyone knows that North Korea (DPRK) [will] participate in our Olympics. So I mean this is a good opportunity to all of the world,” said one South Korean resident.
But the US is using the Winter Olympics to send a tough message about the DPRK nuclear program.
The US delegation will be led by Vice President Pence. Speaking in Japan, Pence said new sanctions against the DPRK will be announced soon.
“Together with Japan and our allies, let the world know this: we will continue to intensify our maximum pressure campaign until North Korea (DPRK) takes concrete steps toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization,” Pence said in Tokyo.
The fate of 13 Russian athletes and two coaches is unclear. The athletes have been banned from the games for Russia’s violation of anti-doping rules. A last ditch appeal is underway at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Olympics officials are taking a tough stance against performance enhancing substances.
“During the Games, there will be over 2,500 tests, blood and urine tests, 1,400 out-of-competition, 1,000 in competition,” said Mark Adams, the spokesperson of the International Olympic Committee. “And athletes from Russia have been tested twice as much as any other nation.”
Also on the health front, there’s been an outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus in PyeongChang. Dozens have been confirmed sick, but so far no athletes have been included.
But the biggest issue for those attending the Games may be the weather, as temperatures for Friday’s opening ceremony may be as cold as minus 10 degrees Celsius.