SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s dispatch of a high-ranking delegation to the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics will help keep a dialogue mood on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.
The DPRK notified South Korea of its plan to send an Olympic delegation, led by Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, to the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics slated for Sunday.
The delegation, including Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, will make a three-day visit to South Korea beginning Sunday.
The South Korean unification ministry said the DPRK delegation's participation in the closing ceremony will advance the process of making peace on the Korean Peninsula, including improved inter-Korean ties and denuclearization.
The ministry said in a separate statement Friday that the participation will bring an opportunity for talks to make peace on the peninsula and enhance inter-Korean relations as Vice Chairman Kim doubles as director of the United Front Department in charge of inter-Korean ties.
The statement noted that Kim is a responsible figure of the DPRK, with whom the South Korean side can talk about improved inter-Korean ties and denuclearization.
Kim was a chief DPRK negotiator at the inter-Korean contact of the military authorities, which was held on Oct. 15, 2014 at the truce village of Panmunjom to discuss ways to defuse military tension between the two sides, according to the statement.
