Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
A top North Korean sports official said his country could co-host the Asian Winter Games in 2021 with South Korea.
This is the latest sign of a thaw in relations between the two neighbours that are officially still at war.
Chang Ung, the sole North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, said it was “possible” for the two countries to host and the North’s Masikryong ski resort could be used, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The offer comes amid a rapid easing of tensions that have accompanied the Winter Olympics in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang. It also follows a similar offer from Choi Moon-soon, governor of the province currently hosting the Olympics, reports The Guardian.
“We are considering the idea of South and North Korea jointly hosting the Asian Winter Games as one way to increase the usage of the facilities after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and of continuing inter-Korean harmony and exchange,” Choi said at a press conference, according to South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh.
“We will initiate detailed preparations after the Pyeongchang Olympics.”
The host city for the 2021 Asian Winter Games has not been announced and will be decided later this year.
If successful, it would follow a long tradition of the two sides using sport to improve relations.