North Korean orchestra to perform during Winter Olympics

A North Korean orchestra will perform in South Korea during the Winter Olympics, Seoul said on Monday, according to multiple reports.

Seoul’s unification ministry said in a statement that officials from North Korea and South Korea agreed during rare talks in Panmunjom that the 140-member orchestra would perform in the South Korean capital and at a location near Pyeongchang, the site of the Winter Games.

{mosads}The ministry added that the agreement “contributes to improving relations and recovering the cultural homogeneity” between the two nations.

A ministry official told Reuters North Korea asked that the musicians cross the border on foot at Panmunjom.

Pyongyang will send a team to hammer out logistics “at the earliest possible time,” according to a joint press release, the news service added.

Officials from the two nations will reportedly meet again on Wednesday to discuss North Korean athletes attending the games and on Saturday for talks hosted by the International Olympics Committee.

President Trump has welcomed the talks between the two Koreas, which come after tensions between Washington and Pyongyang escalated last year over North Korea’s repeated weapons tests.

Anxiety was underscored over the weekend when a false alert warned Hawaii of an incoming ballistic missile, sparking panic.