Shared willingness needed to extend Olympics detente

Athletes of both sides of the divide on the Korean Peninsula are to parade together under a single flag and field a joint women's ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics, which begin in Pyeongchang, the Republic of Korea, this week. Most impressive of all, leading Pyongyang's delegation will be the 90-year-old Kim Yong-nam, the nominal head of state of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kim's presence alone is being read as indication of Pyongyang's seriousness about the inter-Korean rapprochement, leading many to believe what happens next in Pyeongchang will go beyond what Seoul is hoping to sell as "Peace Olympics".

US Vice-President Mike Pence's planned presence in Pyeongchang has also inspired some optimistic anticipations of a Pence-Kim meeting that many hope would be able to break the ice between Pyongyang and Washington and extend the Olympic detente.