In Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 2018 Winter Olympics have opened, with North and South Korean athletes marching together at the open ceremonies. The games are seen as a pivotal moment for relations between the two countries, who have been officially at war since 1950. In an effort to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has sent a 500-person delegation of athletes, musicians and performers to the Olympics. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister attended today’s opening ceremony and shook hands with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in; the pair are scheduled to have lunch together. But as the peninsula tries to de-escalate the threat of nuclear war, US Vice President Mike Pence warned the US is slated to impose another round of sanctions against North Korea. We speak to Christine Ahn, the founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War.
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman. In Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 2018 Winter Olympics have opened, with North and South Korean athletes marching together at the opening ceremonies. The games are seen as a pivotal moment for relations between the two countries, who have been officially at war since 1950. In an effort to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has sent a 500-person delegation of athletes, musicians, performers to the Olympics. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister attended this today’s opening ceremony, shook hands with the South Korean leader Moon Jae-in; the pair are scheduled to have lunch together.
But even as the peninsula tries to de-escalate the threat of nuclear war, US Vice President Mike Pence warned the US is slated to impose another draconian round of sanctions against North Korea. Pence is set — is leading the US delegation during today’s opening ceremony and will reportedly attend the games with the father of Otto Warmbier, the American…