North Korean delegation in Seoul amid tight security, media attention

Seoul, Jan 22: Heavy security has been deployed for the North Korean delegation on a visit in South Korea ahead of its planned participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Protected by a large contingent of police, the seven-member North Korean delegation travelled Monday on a high-speed train from Gangneung, a city on the south-east coast of South Korea, to Seoul, according to local agency Yonhap, reports Efe.  

North Korea's 140-member Samjiyon orchestra will perform in both cities during the Winter Olympics.  

On Monday, the delegation are scheduled to inspect various concert halls in the South Korean capital before returning to North Korea.

The North Korean delegation is led by Hyon Son-wol, leader of the country's most popular band Moranbong, promoted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and the Samjiyon orchestra, formed exclusively for the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which will start on February 9.

The visit has attracted enormous attention from South Korean media and citizens, who gathered Monday around the delegation's hotel in Gangneung.

When asked by journalists about the breakfast she had at the exit of the hotel, Hyon, who is rumoured to be Kim's lover, remained silent as she had been during the entire trip.

The train transporting the North Korean representatives was subsequently escorted by a large security force and the window blind of the delegation's train compartment was closed.

The visiting delegation, the first North Korean civilians to visit the South since Moon Jae-in was elected president in May 2017, was a result of the agreements reached by both countries in their high-level meetings held earlier in January.

The two Koreas, which technically remain at war for more than 65 years, agreed to have North Korean athletes compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics and maintain future military dialogues to avoid border friction, after two years of regional tensions due to North Korea's weapons programmes.

Based on these agreements, the South Korean delegation is set to visit Mount Kumgang in North Korea on Tuesday and the Masikryong ski resort, where they will attend cultural events and joint sports training.