Representatives from South and North Korea want to meet at a summit meeting on 20-23 November. On 1 January at the IOC, negotiate details of a Northern participation in the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in the south of the divided country.
The IOC announced the date at its headquarters in Lausanne about three weeks before the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
According to the IOC, the two Korean states will also be represented at the conference by the Presidents of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), senior government officials and IOC members, as well as a delegation from the Pyeongchang Organising Committee.
Bilateral contacts between the Korean states have been in place since last week to prepare for North Korea’s participation. The North had previously signalled its basic willingness to send active participants to the Olympic competitions in Pyeongchang.
The IOC welcomed the positive signals from North Korea and said:”These proposals represent a major step forward in the spirit of the Olympic spirit,”said IOC President Thomas Bach.
The IOC will make suggestions of the North Korean NOK regarding possible participants and their number. The choice of anthem and flag will also be discussed. South Korea had suggested that the hostile states perform together at the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the case on the Olympic stage most recently at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin.