SEOUL: South Korea has gone a step further in reconciling with neighbours North Korea by extending an official invite to them for participating in the 100th edition of its national sports festival in 2019, the country’s Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.
The event is is scheduled to be held in the South Korean capital city of Seoul from 4-10 October 2019. Do Jong Whan, South Korea’s minister of culture, sports and tourism, said that he also discussed the matter with his North Korean counterpart Kim Il-Guk.
“I told North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk to send the North’s athletes to the 100th Korean National Sports Festival next year,” Whan was quoted as saying to Yonhap.
“As the North was not well aware of it, I gave a sufficient explanation and made the proposal (to the North’s minister).
“North Korea is now in the process of checking the dates for international sports events in the South. In return, the North has asked for South Korea’s participation in its table tennis and weightlifting matches. Both sides will frequently hold working-level and ministerial talks to discuss the matters.” he added.
North Korea has also been invited for participating in the swimming’s premier event, the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and other international sports events in the South.
Whan also expressed confidence of the two countries entering the bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games, having ‘heard of positive reactions from IOC officials in media interviews’.
