North Korea has accepted South Korea's proposal for official talks in what will be the first high-level contact between the two countries in more than two years. Athletes from North and South Korea will march together at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics under a unified flag, the South said on Wednesday, in a diplomatic breakthrough after days of talks between the two countries. The nations also agreed to form a joint North and South Korea women's ice hockey team for the Pyeongchang Games, which begin early next month, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. Unification Ministry announced a series of joint activities between the countries for the Games, following talks on Wednesday in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). North Korean and South Korean skiers will train together at a resort in North Korea before the start of the Olympics, and artists from the two countries will also organize a joint cultural event on Mount Kumgang. North Korea will also send around 230 supporters to cheer on its athletes. A smaller delegation of North Korean athletes and supporters will participate in the Paralympics, the ministry said. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The flag of Korean unification features a blue outline of the peninsula and outlying islands. The two countries have marched under the flag before, in rare displays of unity, first at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships and at numerous sporting events since. It was used most recently at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have to approve the countries' agreements, and those that affect the competition, such as the joint hockey team, could be more complicated than ceremonial proposals. The committee said on Wednesday that it had received a number of "interesting proposals" which it will discuss with delegates from the two countries in Switzerland on Saturday. "We are confident that the two Korean delegations will present their ideas and proposals at Saturday's meeting in Lausanne. This will then allow the IOC to carefully evaluate the consequences and potential impact on the Olympic Games and Olympic competitions," it said in a statement. . While the two sides have earned praise for easing military tensions in recent weeks, some of Seoul's leaders expressed concern Wednesday that Pyongyang could use the talks to buy time to advance its agenda armaments. The U.S. military has moved more firepower into the region, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned against complacency during a summit Tuesday in Vancouver, where top diplomats from the United States, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom were in city ​​to discuss North Korea. Foreign Minister Taro Kono called on the international community to take a clear look at North Korea's motivations for joining the talks, which have been hailed by some as the most significant thaw in ties in years. “Both Koreas are using the talks mainly for a limited goal, which is to organize the participation of a North Korean delegation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics,” Park said. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the talks were a "significant step" but acknowledged the serious challenges ahead: "Despite these overtures to improve relations with the South, North Korea has not yet shown no intention to fulfill its international obligations regarding denuclearization.“North Korea has remained adamant throughout this month's thaw in relations with South Korea that its nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles are here to stay. Kim Hee Ryung, who works at a tourist information kiosk in Gangneung, the city that will host ice sports at the Games, complained: “They didn't really consider the South Korean players. They have been preparing for years to participate in the Olympics but now they cannot play. Hockey players from the two rival Koreas on Thursday paired to form their first Olympic team during next month's Pyeongchang Winter Games, as their countries took rare steps of reconciliation after a period of nuclear tensions. He added that joint military exercises with “external forces” were futile when seeking better relations between North and South Korea. This came as the North's ice hockey team, dressed in DPRK jackets, crossed the militarized border to form Korea's first unified team for next month's Winter Olympics. North and South Korea will march under one flag as the joint team competes in Pyeongchang. The Unification flag, which depicts the entire peninsula and surrounding islands in blue on a white background, was last used in 2006 at the Winter Olympics in Italy. Athletes from the North and South will march together under one flag at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Games, which begin on February 9. North Korean athletes will also participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month. North and South Korea's proposals had to be approved by the IOC and the Pyeongchang committee before they could move forward. North Korea will send 22 athletes who will compete in three sports, Bach said, following a meeting between delegations from the two Koreas and the Olympics. officials in Lausanne, Switzerland. Of the 22 North Korean athletes, 15 will be women and seven will be men, the IOC said. They will be accompanied by 24 coaches and 21 media representatives. Women's hockey players from the two rival Koreas paired up Thursday to form their first Olympic team at next month's Pyeongchang Winter Games, as their countries take rare steps of reconciliation after a period of nuclear tensions. the Olympic Stadium under the flag of Korean unification. I am sure that this will be a very emotional moment not only for all Koreans but for the whole world," Bach said. He also confirmed that, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, the two nations will join one team joint women's ice hockey under the name Corea Athletes will compete in ice hockey, ice skating and skiing in five disciplines: ice hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating, cross-country skiing. and alpine skiing, says IOC. Bach said achieving this "has not been an easy journey" but that he is proud of what representatives of the two Koreas, the IOC and the Pyeongchang 2018 Organizing Committee have achieved. goal A dozen North Korean hockey players dressed in black and red winter clothing crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea late Thursday, as about 30 to 40 conservative activists shouted anti-Pyongyang slogans in a nearby area. confine. The North Koreans traveled to a national athletes' village in southern South Korea, where they were welcomed by their South Korean teammates and their Canadian coach Sarah Murray, who presented them with bouquets of flowers in a welcoming ceremony at the open. Pak Chol Ho, a coach.