DPRK ice hockey team arrives in ROK for Olympics joint practice

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) women's ice hockey team arrived in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday along with an advance team of sports officials for joint training before next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Yonhap news agency reported.

The 15-member delegation including 12 ice hockey players arrived in the customs, immigration and quarantine office in Paju.

The advance team led by Yun Yong Bok, a senior official of DPRK's sports ministry, consists of eight members. They crossed the border at 9:21 a.m. through a western land route. During this three-day visit, they will inspect competition venues at the Games.

According to an agreement the DPRK and the ROK reached during their first official talks in two years, the joint team will wear unity jerseys and march under a unified peninsula flag at the Games' opening ceremony on February 9.

Earlier on Thursday, the DPRK sent an announcement addressed to "all Koreans at home and abroad", saying they should make a "breakthrough" for unification without the help of other countries, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

(REUTERS)