Kim Jong-un’s sister will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea on Friday, Seoul’s unification ministry has said.
Pyongyang notified Seoul that Kim Yo-jong would be accompanying Kim Yong-nam, North Korea’s nominal head of state, along with Choe Hwi, the head of the national sports guidance committee, and Ri Son-gwon, who led inter-Korean talks last week, according to the Seoul ministry.
The inclusion of Kim Yo-jong in the delegation is “meaningful”, because she is a senior official in the ruling Workers’ party, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The trip could provide a source of contention between Seoul and Washington, as she was blacklisted last year by the US Department of the Treasury over human rights abuses and censorship, while Choe is subject to a travel ban under UN security council sanctions.
Speaking on a trip to Japan on Wednesday, Mike Pence, the US vice-president, said the US is preparing to announce the “toughest and most aggressive” economic sanctions against North Korea in the coming days.
Pence, who is set to lead the US delegation to the opening ceremony, made the announcement following meetings with Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe.
He will travel to South Korea on Thursday for meetings with President Moon Jae-in, where he will promote the Trump administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure” against the North, as the South pursues a diplomatic opening around the Winter Olympics.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
