- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

About 800 People Protesting in Seoul Against N Korea's Participation in Olympics

© REUTERS / YonhapA member of a South Korean conservative civic group burns a North Korean national flag during a protest opposing North Korea's participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, in Seoul, South Korea, January 22, 2018
A member of a South Korean conservative civic group burns a North Korean national flag during a protest opposing North Korea's participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, in Seoul, South Korea, January 22, 2018 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - About 800 people in Seoul took part in a protest on Saturday against North Korea's participation in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and arrival of a delegation from Pyongyang, local media reported.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the conservative activists tore photos of Kim Jong-un and tried to burn North Korea's national flags in front of the Deoksu Palace in central Seoul. The protesters also condemned South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who they consider to be too soft on Pyongyang.

READ MORE: And the Winner is…Two Koreas Talk Peace at Olympics in Defiance of US

Earlier in the day, Moon held a meeting with the North Korean delegation headed by North’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam and the younger sister of the North’s leader, Kim Yo-jong, who had arrived in South Korea to attend the opening ceremony of 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.

During the meeting, the sides expressed a common desire to preserve the atmosphere of peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, which started jointly with the Olympics in Pyeongchang, and to intensify cooperation and dialogue between the North and the South.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a military parade marking the 105th birthday of Kim Il-Sung, the founder of North Korea, in Pyongyang - Sputnik International
Asia
North Korean Leader Invites South Korean President to Pyongyang - Reports
According to media reports, Kim Yo Jong, in particular, delivered an invitation to Moon to visit Pyongyang for a third inter-Korean summit, and the South Korean president reportedly said that he might visit North Korea if "necessary conditions" were created.

The opening ceremony of the XXIII Winter Olympic Games took place at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium on Friday. The Games will last through February 25.

Participation of North Korea in the Olympics was however in question until Pyongyang and Seoul agreed in January that the two countries’ national teams would march together under a "unification flag" at the opening ceremony.

READ MORE: South Korea President Has Rare Meeting With North Leader’s Sister

The two sides also agreed that North Korea would participate in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, pair figure skating, and women's ice hockey contests. For women’s ice hockey, the North will form a joint team with the South.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала