S Korean PM calls for creating right conditions for proposed inter-Korean summit

Seoul [South Korea], Feb 11 (ANI): South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said the two Koreas should work actively together to create the right conditions for a meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the proposed inter-Korean summit.

Lee made the remark during a lunch session earlier in the day when he hosted the North Korean delegation, led by the North Korean ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam and also included Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The development comes at a time when efforts should be made by Washington D.C. and Pyongyang to sit down and resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff.

On Saturday, Moon called for talks between North Korea and the United States.

The South Korean President and Yo-jong will jointly attend the North Korean art troupe's concert at the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul on Sunday, according to officials.

This will be the fourth time that both the leaders will attend an event, ever since they greeted each other during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Friday. The other members of the delegation, including Yong-nam, will attend the concert as well.

North Korea on Saturday proposed an inter-Korean summit to be held in Pyongyang and invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in for the same. The proposal was announced in a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong.

Cheong Wa Dae (South Korean presidential office) spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said that Yo-jong came to South Korea as a "special envoy of Kim Jong-un."

The meeting in the Cheong Wa Dae was held in a "friendly" mood, where the two sides exchanged their views on a wide range of issues, including inter-Korean ties and other matters concerning the Korean Peninsula, according to the spokesperson.

Moon first met the delegation at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Friday. United States Vice-President Mike Pence was also present and led the US delegation. However, he did not meet with Yong-nam and Yo-jong.

The delegation will return to Pyongyang later today.

Yo-jong's visit to the South was the first visit by a member of the ruling Kim family ever since the Korean War ended in 1953.

The 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang kicked off on Friday with the two Koreas marching under a unified flag in an opening ceremony themed around peace and future.

A joint ice hockey team, comprising of both North and South Korean players, will take part in the Winter Games.

North Korea has sent a delegation of 22 athletes to compete in five disciplines, with their women's ice hockey players to compete in a unified Korean team.

Though South Korea is hosting the Winter Olympic Games for the first time, the nation has some experience in the world of international athletics, having hosted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.

The two sides had met at the border village of Panmunjom, located along the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) for high-level, working-level and military talks respectively.

Also, North Korea sent its own cheerleader squad and an art troupe who are scheduled to perform in the Pyeongchang Winter Games. (ANI)