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By Yi Whan-woo
A North Korean delegation headed by Moranbong Band leader Hyon Song-wol arrived in South Korea, Sunday, to discuss preparations for performances by the North's top arts troupes during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
This was the first visit by North Korean officials to the South since October 2014 when three aides of leader Kim Jong-un -- Hwang Pyong-so, Choe Ryong-hae and Kim Yang Gon -- attended the closing ceremony for the Incheon Asian Games.
The Hyon-led delegation's trip also comes as the two Koreas are scheduled to send delegates to each other's country this week in joint preparations for South Korea's first Winter Games.
The two sides agreed on a scheduled visit of a 12-member Seoul delegation to the Masikryong Ski Resort from Jan. 23 to 25, while the North notified the South that a team of eight officials will visit PyeongChang to inspect the Olympic venues and accommodation.
Cheong Wa Dae said North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics is expected to help easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"It will work to lay the groundwork for the easing of tensions and the establishment of peace on the peninsula, in addition to the reconciliation of the two Koreas," Yoon Young-chan, chief press secretary to President Moon Jae-in, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the seven delegates looked around the Gangneung Arts Center, where North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra is expected to perform next month, after crossing the Demilitarized Zone and stopping by in Seoul.
Hyon co-leads Kim's favorite pop group, the Moranbong Band, and the 140-member orchestra.
The delegates wrapped up the first leg of their two-day trip at the Golden Tulip Skybay Hotel in Gangeung, about 60 kilometers northeast of PyeongChang.
They will return to Seoul today to visit another site for a performance before heading back to the North.
The South Korean government opened up a land route connecting the Demilitarized Zone and the North for the first time since February 2016, exclusively for the Hyon-led delegation. The route had been closed after the joint industrial park in Gaeseong, North Korea, was shut down.
Hyon has cemented her status as one of North Korea's most powerful women after joining the Workers's Party's Central Committee in its recent reshuffle.
She was the only woman at the table when delegations from the two Koreas met last week to discuss follow-up measures after they agreed on Pyongyang's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics.
Hyon was also the highest-ranking female figure to be included in the inter-Korean dialogue since June 2013.
On Jan. 23, the South Korean officials will visit the Masikryong Ski Resort near North Korea's port city of Wonsan on the country's east coast.
Masikryong is Kim's latest prestige project and the two sides will prepare for joint training of their skiers as part of reconciliatory efforts.
The delegation will later visit Mount Geumgang, where a joint cultural festival will be held to celebrate the PyeongChang Olympics. The scenic mountain used to be a joint tour project site and a symbol of reconciliation before tours by South Koreans were suspended in 2008 after the killing of a tourist who wandered into a military zone.
From Jan. 25 to 27, an eight-member advance team from the North will visit the South to look around the Olympic venues, press center and accommodation for over 400 North Koreans who will participate in the Winter Games.
The eight delegates will represent the 22 athletes, 230 cheerleaders and 21 journalists.
The North Korean delegation will also include 24 coaches and officials.
