ROK, DPRK to hold talks over DPRK's dispatch of art troupe to Winter Olympics

SEOUL -- The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed on Saturday to hold working-level talks next week to discuss the DPRK's dispatch of its art troupe to the ROK-hosted Winter Olympics, Seoul's unification ministry said.

ROK accepted the DPRK's counterproposal earlier in the day to first discuss the dispatch of its art troupe to the winter sports event on Jan 15 at Tongilgak, a building controlled by the DPRK in the truce village of Panmunjom.

Seoul originally offered Friday to Pyongyang holding working-level talks about the dispatch of all DPRK delegations, including athletes and cheering squads, to the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games set to run from February to March in ROK's eastern county of Pyeongchang.

The DPRK made a counterproposal early Saturday, offering to talk first about the art troupe's dispatch.

Seoul asked Pyongyang to rapidly decided on when to discuss other issues on the DPRK's participation in the ROK-hosted winter sports event.

The working-level talks will come after the two Koreas held the first high-level dialogue in around two years on Tuesday at the Peace House in the ROK's side of Panmunjom.

The DPRK agreed to send its delegations to Pyeongchang, promising to hold a separate dialogue on military affairs with ROK.