A report by the Washington Post on Wednesday revealed that South Korea, host of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, could ask its controversial neighbor North Korea to help co-host the famed sporting event come February.
The games are to be held in PyeongChang, which is just 40 miles from the demilitarized zone separating North from South.
Within North Korea’s capital of Pyeongyang is a 4,000-foot mountain that contains 70 miles of slopes called Masikryong. The complex would provide a world-class venue for outdoor events likes skiing and snowboarding.
South Korean sports minister Do Jong-hwan told the Washington Post that this offer could “thaw lingering tensions,” between the two countries and make the games a “peace Olympics,” as North Korean athletes would be allowed to safely pass through the demilitarized zone.
Among Jong-hwan’s ideas are a women’s hockey team comprised of both North and South Koreans to compete in the games.
It obviously remains to be seen how other countries would react to sending their athletes to North Korea. The United States’ relationship with the country continues to worsen due to numerous missile tests and after Otto Warmbier, a college student was detained and imprisoned for 17 months by North Korea, was released last week and returned to the U.S. in a coma before dying on Monday.
