North Korea accepted South Korea's proposal for formal talks in what will be the first high-level contact between the two countries in more than two years. North and South Korean athletes will march together in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics under a unified flag, the South announced Wednesday, in a diplomatic breakthrough after several days of talks between the two countries. The nations also agreed to form a joint North and South Korean women's ice hockey team for the Pyeongchang Games, which begin early next month, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. The Unification Ministry announced a series of joint activities between countries for the Games, following discussions in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Wednesday. North and South Korean skiers will train together at a resort in North Korea before the start of the Olympics, and artists from the two countries will also hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang. North Korea will also send around 230 fans to cheer on its athletes. A smaller delegation of North Korean athletes and fans will attend the Paralympics, the ministry said. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay The Korean unification flag features a blue silhouette of the peninsula and outlying islands. Both countries have marched under the flag before, in rare displays of unity, first at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships and then at several sporting events since. It was last used during the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have to approve countries' agreements, and those that affect competition, such as the joint hockey team, could be more complicated than ceremonial proposals. The commission said on Wednesday it had received a number of “interesting proposals” which it would discuss on Saturday with delegates from the two countries in Switzerland. “We are sure that the two Korean delegations will present their ideas and proposals during the meeting on Saturday in Lausanne. . This will then allow the IOC to carefully assess the consequences and potential impact on the Olympic Games and Olympic competitions," he said in a statement. Although both sides have earned praise for easing tensions military in recent weeks, some of the leaders of Seoul's allies expressed concern on Wednesday that Pyongyang could use the negotiations to buy time to continue its weapons program The U.S. military has deployed more firepower in. region and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned against complacency at a summit Tuesday in Vancouver where top diplomats from the United States, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom were in town to discuss North Korea's Foreign Minister Taro Kono called on the international community to be clear-eyed about North Korea's motivations for participating in the talks, which have been hailed by some as the most significant thaw in relations. for years. “The two Koreas are mainly using negotiations for the limited purpose of arranging the participation of a North Korean delegation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics,” Park said. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the negotiations were a "significant step" but acknowledged serious challenges lie ahead: "Despite these overtures aimed at improving relationswith the South, North Korea has yet to show any intention of fulfilling its international obligations regarding denuclearization. “North Korea has remained adamant throughout this month's thaw in relations with South Korea that its nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles are here to stay. Kim Hee Ryung, who works at a tourist information kiosk in Gangneung, the city that will host ice sports at the Games, complained: "They didn't really think about the South Korean players." They have been preparing for years to compete in the Olympics, but now they can no longer play. Women's hockey players from rival Koreas were paired Thursday to make their first-ever Olympic team at next month's Pyeongchang Winter Games, as their countries continue their rare steps of reconciliation after a period of nuclear tensions. He added that joint military exercises with "external forces" were of no use when seeking to improve relations between North and South Korea. It came as the North's ice hockey team - clad in DPRK jackets - crossed the militarized border to form Korea's first-ever unified team for next month's Winter Olympics. North and South Korea will march under one flag as the joint team competes in Pyeongchang. The unification flag, which depicts the entire peninsula and surrounding islands in blue on a white background, was last used in 2006 at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Athletes from the North and South will march together under one flag during the opening ceremony of the Games in Pyeongchang, which begin on February 9. North Korean athletes will also compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month. The proposals from North and South Korea must be approved by the IOC and the Pyeongchang committee before they can move forward. North Korea will send 22 athletes to compete in three sports, Bach said, following a meeting between delegations from the two Koreas and Olympic athletes. officials in Lausanne, Switzerland. Of the 22 North Korean athletes, 15 will be women and seven men, the IOC said. They will be accompanied by 24 coaches and 21 media representatives. Women's hockey players from rival Koreas were paired up Thursday to form their first-ever Olympic team at next month's Pyeongchang Winter Games, as their countries move forward in rare steps of reconciliation after a period of nuclear tensions. the Olympic stadium under the flag of Korean unification. I am sure it will be a very emotional moment not only for all Koreans but also for the whole world,” Bach said. He also confirmed that, for the first time in Olympic history, the two nations will integrate a joint women's ice hockey team under the name Korea. Athletes will compete in ice hockey, ice skating and skiing in five disciplines: ice hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing, specifies the IOC. Bach said achieving this result “has not been an easy journey,” but that he was proud that representatives from both Koreas, the IOC and the Pyeongchang 2018 organizing committee had achieved their goal. A dozen North Korean hockey players dressed in white and red winter clothing crossed the heavily fortified border with South Korea earlier Thursday, as about 30 to 40 conservative activists shouted anti-Pyongyang slogans in a neighboring border area. North Koreans went to a village.