Winter Olympics Sees Korean Peninsula Warm Up
Pyeongchang’s Winter Olympics has seen relations between North and South Korea improve after leaders Kim Jong Un and Moon Jai-in exchanged a symbolic handshake at the opening of the games.
Following a brief visit to the typically insular North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in claimed that the Olympics had helped to ease tension on the peninsula, going on to say that he believed the good-will would continue to be built upon after the games.
Jae-in later declined an offer to attend discussions in North Korea’s capital, citing fears that it was too early to enter negotiations with Kim Jong Un. However, he has since stated that he remains open to a North-South summit – a decision which seems popular with South Koreans, who voted 61.5% in favour of entering intra-pensinsula negotiations in a mid-February poll.
The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have been a particularly emotional one for the two nations, after the opening ceremony saw the two inimical countries march under a single “Unification Flag”. However, while relations continue to improve, experts warn against expecting too much: similar peace talks have fallen flat before, most notably in 2000 and 2007.