North Korean leader's sister to join delegates for the winter Olympic games in South Korea
Sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, kim Yo-Jong, is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, which are being held in South Korea Friday. She is to accompany North Korea's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam to the event.
Kim Yo-jong, the youngest daughter of late leader Kim Jong-il, shares the same mother as Kim Jong-un, and her role in the country's government increased when she was promoted to the politburo, the country's principal policy making committee, last year.
Believed born in 1987, she is reported very close to Kim Jong-un, as the two of them had lived and studied in Berne, Switzerland, at the same time. She has been spotted in the spotlight in recent years and protecting her brother's image is her main job. She remains blacklisted by the US over alleged links to human rights abuses in North Korea.
North Korea's participation in the games has been seen as a way of creating a more cordial bilateral ties but the US believes it is propaganda by the North and plans to counter the move by sending Vice-President Mike Pence to the opening ceremony.
The North and South countries will march under on Korea Flag at the opening ceremony with only 10 athletes competing for North Korea at the Games along another 12 that are part of the unified Korean women's ice hockey team.
Majority of the 280-member North Korean delegation, led by North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk, including 229 cheerleaders, four officials from the National Olympic Committee, 26 taekwondo demonstrators and 21 journalists, arrived in the South on Wednesday through western border by bus at 09:28 local time (00:26 GMT).
The group, excluding officials, will stay at Inje Speedium Hotel & Resort, a four-star luxury hotel, approximately two-hours from the Olympic venue in Pyeongchang. Workers at the resort had earlier mounted banners around the premises which read "we are one" to welcome the team. Police were also deployed to the resort to enforce safety and peace.
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