Let's start with the flurry of talks that are lined up between the two Koreas
On this Monday,.... officials from the two sides are going to meet to discuss sports cooperation.
For more, let's turn to our Park Hee-jun,... who will be covering the talks throughout the day.
Hee-jun. Tell us more about what we can expect at these talks about sports...
Mark. The inter-Korean sports talks will begin at around 10a.m. at the Peace House,... which is the South Korean building within the truce village of Panmunjom.
Today's discussions are focused on boosting sports exchanges between the two Koreas.
The key agendas include: joint participation by the two Koreas at the 2018 Asian Games and inter-Korean basketball matches.
The South Korean delegation will be led by Jeon Choong-ryul, Secretary General of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee.
Two officials from the unification and culture ministries will also join him.
The North Korean delegation will be led by Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u,... and with him, two other officials.
The talks are part of ongoing efforts by the two Koreas to implement the Panmunjom Declaration from the April 27th inter-Korean summit.
The agreement to hold the talks came after high-level officials from South and North Korea met at Panmunjom last month.
And especially as the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics is widely seen as the impetus that led to the recent peace talks on the Korean Peninsula,... the two Koreas will be keen to carry the momentum of sports cooperation to strengthen inter-Korean ties.
And Hee-jun... You mentioned the two Koreas will mainly discuss the upcoming Asian Games. What specific kinds of sports exchanges will be on the table at these talks?
Right. Like I mentioned earlier, the two Koreas will mainly talk about joint participation in the upcoming 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, which will kick off this August.
South Korea offered to form joint teams for canoeing and rowing,... but according to Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong-hwan,...North Korea appears to want participation in more events, and so this is will be further discussed at today's talks.
They'll also talk about whether they will march under the Korean Unification Flag, like they did during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
And it's a widely known fact that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a huge basketball fan.
Kim proposed holding inter-Korean basketball matches to South Korean President Moon Jae-in during the inter-Korean summit.
So that should be on the table as well.
That's all I've got for you now.
But I'll keep you updated throughout the day. Mark.
