High-level officials from North and South Korea met at the Peace House at Panmunjom for the first time in two years and agreed on an agenda limited to securing North Korea's full participation in the Pyeongchang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
North Korea's participation in the Olympics provides South Korea with an essential near-term basis for expecting that North Korea will not spoil an international showpiece and eases the tattered nerves of athletes and Olympic officials worried about the political tensions.