2/22/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP FAMILY/IVANKA: “North Korea said an army general tied to two attacks on South Korean forces would lead its delegation to the Winter Olympics’ closing ceremonies this weekend, presenting a diplomatic quandary for U.S. presidential adviser Ivanka Trump, who is also set to attend.
The potential for an encounter, planned or unplanned, between the two comes just weeks after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pointedly ignored North Korean envoys, including the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, at the opening of the Games in the South Korean ski resort of Pyeongchang.
The U.S. later said a meeting between Mr. Pence and the North Koreans had been planned, but that Pyongyang canceled at the last minute.
The U.S. delegation this weekend will need to decide how to treat the presence of the general, Kim Yong Chol, who has been sanctioned by Seoul for his alleged role in the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship, which killed 46 sailors, and the bombardment of a South Korean island the same year.
In a statement on Thursday, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said it had agreed to Gen. Kim’s visit in order to further its goals of improving inter-Korean relations and pursuing denuclearization.”

-Jonathan Cheng, “Olympics Closing Ceremony Will Be Chance for Ivanka Trump, North Koreans to Meet,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 22, 2018 11:07am