"North Korea says the Masikryong Ski Resort was built according to global standards, and I intend to discuss this [carrying out some Olympic events there] with [North Korea's delegate to the International Olympic Committee] Chang," Do said during his visit to the headquarters of the Pyeongchang organizing committee, as quoted by The Chosun Ilbo.
Do said he was also planning to discuss the possibility of forming a unified Korean women's team for ice hockey with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony of the World Taekwondo Championships in South Korea on June 29.
"Hopefully we'll be able to ease lingering tensions as we try to bring North Korea on board," Do said, adding that he was also considering carrying the Olympic torch in North Korean cities such as Kaesong or Pyongyang.
Pyeongchang 2018 will be the first Winter Olympic Games hosted by South Korea. The Games will be held on February 9-25, 2018.
South and North Korea are still formally at war, as no peace treaty was ever signed after the Korean War of 1950-1953. Tensions between the two countries have risen in recent years amid Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches conducted in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. The dialogue with North Korea is a part of newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in's policy, aimed at reconciliation on the Korean peninsula.
