The US State Department on Friday said that they have no plans to meet North Korean officials in the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics.&nbsp;

&quot;There are no plans to meet with North Korean officials,&quot; Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the State Department&#39;s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said on Friday.

The spokesperson also stated that the US did not have an objection with North Koreas participation and that their participation is not a shocker - she said in response to South Korea breaching international sanctions on the North over their invitation in the games.&nbsp;

&quot;The United States does not determine which countries may or may not participate in Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games were born out of an ideal for peaceful sporting competition amongst nations. In that spirit, the United States looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month,&quot; she added.

She further iterated that North Koreas participation in the games is completely separate from politics.&nbsp;

Earlier, North and South Korea agreed to field a joint women&#39;s ice hockey team and march together under a unified Korea flag at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The two Koreas also agreed to hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang on the North Korean east coast before the Winter Games.

The Winter Olympics is scheduled to take place at South Korea&#39;s Pyeongchang from February 9-25.

The development between the two countries has brought some ease into their strained relations.

The two sides have also agreed to hold military talks on solving border tensions.

The spokesperson also stated that the US did not have an objection with North Koreas participation and that their participation is not a shocker - she said in response to South Korea breaching international sanctions on the North over their invitation in the games

The US State Department on Friday said that they have no plans to meet North Korean officials in the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics. "There are no plans to meet with North Korean officials," Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said on Friday. The spokesperson also stated that the US did not have an objection with North Koreas participation and that their participation is not a shocker - she said in response to South Korea breaching international sanctions on the North over their invitation in the games. "The United States does not determine which countries may or may not participate in Olympic Games. The modern Olympic Games were born out of an ideal for peaceful sporting competition amongst nations. In that spirit, the United States looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month," she added. She further iterated that North Koreas participation in the games is completely separate from politics. Earlier, North and South Korea agreed to field a joint women's ice hockey team and march together under a unified Korea flag at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The two Koreas also agreed to hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang on the North Korean east coast before the Winter Games. The Winter Olympics is scheduled to take place at South Korea's Pyeongchang from February 9-25. The development between the two countries has brought some ease into their strained relations. The two sides have also agreed to hold military talks on solving border tensions.

US has no plans of meeting North Korea officials in PyeongChang Olympics

The two Koreas marched together and South Korea&#39;s president shared a historic handshake with Kim Jong Un&#39;s sister as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opened in a spirit of intense rapprochement on Friday.

At a glittering but sub-zero ceremony, South and North Korea brought the crowd to its feet as they entered behind the blue-and-white Korean unification flag.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook the hand of a smiling Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as he entered the VIP seating section, and again as the Korean athletes marched.

It cemented what has been a rapid improvement in Korean ties since North Korea -- after months of fierce nuclear rhetoric and missile tests -- agreed last month to attend its first Olympics in the South.

Kim Yo Jong, the first member of the North&#39;s ruling dynasty to venture South since the Korean War, forms part of the highest level delegation ever to cross the border.

South and North Korea last marched together at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They also made the symbolic gesture at the opening of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in Sydney and Athens.

&quot;You will inspire us all to live together in peace and harmony despite all the differences we have,&quot; said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, before Moon declared the Games open.&nbsp;

Kim Yu-na, South Korea&#39;s former gold medal-winning figure skater, wore skates as she lit the Olympic cauldron, after being handed the torch by two members of the joint Korean women&#39;s ice hockey team -- one player from the North and one from the South.

Lee Hee-beom, head of the Games organising committee, said &quot;the North and South have become one through the Olympics&quot;.

&quot;Pyeongchang Olympics will become the hope and light for everyone that hopes for peace, not only on the Korean peninsula but in northeast Asia and the entire world,&quot; said Lee.

In contrast, Russia&#39;s athletes entered the ceremony behind a neutral flag after their team was suspended over a doping scandal. Despite the ban 168 &quot;Olympic Athletes from Russia&quot; will compete in Pyeongchang.

Just hours earlier, 47 Russians lost a court bid to take part in the Games after they were left off the list of athletes deemed clean from doping.

Oiled Tongan

Shivering athletes are bracing for one of the coldest Winter Olympics on record, with real-feel temperatures plumbing minus 10 degree Celsius at the opening ceremony.

Japan&#39;s speed skaters are among the athletes who decided it was too cold to brave the open-air ceremony, while organisers handed out heat packs, blankets and hats to keep spectators warm.

But Tonga&#39;s Pita Taufatofua, echoing his eye-catching entrance at the Rio Olympics, happily braved the chill as he appeared stripped to the waist and with his chest heavily oiled.

Expectations are sky-high for an array of stars at Pyeongchang, including American skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, while the drama in figure skating centres on whether Japan&#39;s &quot;Ice Prince&quot; Yuzuru Hanyu can recover from injury to retain his crown.

Potential winners also include French flag-bearer Martin Fourcade in biathlon, hoping to add to his two gold medals in Sochi in 2014.&nbsp;

Alpine giant slalom great Marcel Hirscher of Austria is also among the gold medal hunters.

The sensational 15-year-old Alina Zagitova of Russia will take the spotlight in women&#39;s figure skating, where a showdown is expected with her fellow Russian teen, Evgenia Medvedeva.

Another teenage breakout star could be Chloe Kim, 17, the American whose parents are Korean and who is tipped for gold in snowboard as well as adulation by the host nation.

For the South Koreans, major home hopes rest on the slender shoulders of yet another teenage girl.&nbsp;

In short-track speed skating, the 19-year-old Choi Min-jeong is among the favourites for a gold-medal sweep of all four races.

The two Koreas marched together and South Korea's president shared a historic handshake with Kim Jong Un's sister as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opened in a spirit of intense rapprochement on Friday

The two Koreas marched together and South Korea's president shared a historic handshake with Kim Jong Un's sister as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opened in a spirit of intense rapprochement on Friday. At a glittering but sub-zero ceremony, South and North Korea brought the crowd to its feet as they entered behind the blue-and-white Korean unification flag. South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook the hand of a smiling Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as he entered the VIP seating section, and again as the Korean athletes marched. It cemented what has been a rapid improvement in Korean ties since North Korea -- after months of fierce nuclear rhetoric and missile tests -- agreed last month to attend its first Olympics in the South. Kim Yo Jong, the first member of the North's ruling dynasty to venture South since the Korean War, forms part of the highest level delegation ever to cross the border. South and North Korea last marched together at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They also made the symbolic gesture at the opening of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in Sydney and Athens. "You will inspire us all to live together in peace and harmony despite all the differences we have," said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, before Moon declared the Games open. Kim Yu-na, South Korea's former gold medal-winning figure skater, wore skates as she lit the Olympic cauldron, after being handed the torch by two members of the joint Korean women's ice hockey team -- one player from the North and one from the South. Lee Hee-beom, head of the Games organising committee, said "the North and South have become one through the Olympics". "Pyeongchang Olympics will become the hope and light for everyone that hopes for peace, not only on the Korean peninsula but in northeast Asia and the entire world," said Lee. In contrast, Russia's athletes entered the ceremony behind a neutral flag after their team was suspended over a doping scandal. Despite the ban 168 "Olympic Athletes from Russia" will compete in Pyeongchang. Just hours earlier, 47 Russians lost a court bid to take part in the Games after they were left off the list of athletes deemed clean from doping. Oiled Tongan Shivering athletes are bracing for one of the coldest Winter Olympics on record, with real-feel temperatures plumbing minus 10 degree Celsius at the opening ceremony. Japan's speed skaters are among the athletes who decided it was too cold to brave the open-air ceremony, while organisers handed out heat packs, blankets and hats to keep spectators warm. But Tonga's Pita Taufatofua, echoing his eye-catching entrance at the Rio Olympics, happily braved the chill as he appeared stripped to the waist and with his chest heavily oiled. Expectations are sky-high for an array of stars at Pyeongchang, including American skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, while the drama in figure skating centres on whether Japan's "Ice Prince" Yuzuru Hanyu can recover from injury to retain his crown. Potential winners also include French flag-bearer Martin Fourcade in biathlon, hoping to add to his two gold medals in Sochi in 2014. Alpine giant slalom great Marcel Hirscher of Austria is also among the gold medal hunters. The sensational 15-year-old Alina Zagitova of Russia will take the spotlight in women's figure skating, where a showdown is expected with her fellow Russian teen, Evgenia Medvedeva. Another teenage breakout star could be Chloe Kim, 17, the American whose parents are Korean and who is tipped for gold in snowboard as well as adulation by the host nation. For the South Koreans, major home hopes rest on the slender shoulders of yet another teenage girl. In short-track speed skating, the 19-year-old Choi Min-jeong is among the favourites for a gold-medal sweep of all four races.

Korean unity, historic handshake as Pyeongchang Olympics open

Olympics chief Thomas Bach on Monday said the Pyeongchang Winter Games brought &quot;real hope&quot; to the divided Korean peninsula and conceded there was no &quot;Plan B&quot; even when nuclear tensions put them under threat.

Bach was speaking four days ahead of the opening of the Games, which received a major boost when isolated North Korea ended months of bellicose posturing by agreeing to send a contingent of athletes.

&quot;The Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 have allowed another new beginning on the Korean peninsula,&quot; Bach told delegates at the opening ceremony for this week&#39;s International Olympic Committee (IOC) session.&nbsp;

&quot;They have opened the door for a peaceful dialogue between the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea (North).

&quot;The Olympic spirit has brought two sides together that for too long were divided by mistrust and animosity.&nbsp;

&quot;The Olympic spirit has brought real hope for a brighter future for everyone on the Korean peninsula.&quot;

Bach said it had been a &quot;long and difficult journey&quot; to organise an Olympics in Korea, whose two sides are divided by a heavily fortified border -- just 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the Games site -- and remain technically at war.

Officials from France, Germany and Austria all expressed concerns about sending athletes as tensions spiralled last year, when North Korea fired a series of missile tests and exchanged threats of war with the United States.

But Bach said: &quot;In all the conversations we had, the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 were never put in doubt. On the contrary, we could always feel support.&quot;

&quot;Despite the sometimes worrying political circumstances, we were always standing at the side of our Korean hosts and never talked of a Plan B,&quot; he added.

&#39;Impossible dream&#39;

South Korean President Moon Jae-In has long argued for engagement to bring the North to the negotiating table over its nuclear ambitions.

But not all of his countrymen agree and there is a public perception that Moon&#39;s administration made too many concessions to the North to secure its participation at the Olympics.&nbsp;

Chiming with Bach, Moon said: &quot;Something truly wonderful is taking place in the divided and war-torn nation... throughout the world the message of peace is echoing.&quot;

&quot;One or two months ago, many countries were concerned with the safety of the Pyeongchang Olympic Games. North Korea&#39;s participating in the Games and a unified team under the banner of peace seemed like an impossible dream then,&quot; he added.

North Korea is sending 22 athletes to Pyeongchang, along with a large number of officials and an all-female cheer squad.

A unified Korean women&#39;s ice hockey team, whose squad includes 12 players from the North, on Sunday made its debut ahead of the Games, losing 3-1 to Sweden in a practice match.

The team has proved polarising in South Korea, where it has been blamed for a sudden drop in Moon&#39;s approval ratings.

While enthusiastic supporters cheered on the joint team, protesters chanting &quot;Pyongyang Olympics!&quot; also gathered outside, stamping on a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and ripping up the blue-and-white Korean unification flag.

&nbsp;

Bach said it had been a "long and difficult journey" to organise an Olympics in Korea, whose two sides are divided and remain technically at war

Olympics chief Thomas Bach on Monday said the Pyeongchang Winter Games brought "real hope" to the divided Korean peninsula and conceded there was no "Plan B" even when nuclear tensions put them under threat. Bach was speaking four days ahead of the opening of the Games, which received a major boost when isolated North Korea ended months of bellicose posturing by agreeing to send a contingent of athletes. "The Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 have allowed another new beginning on the Korean peninsula," Bach told delegates at the opening ceremony for this week's International Olympic Committee (IOC) session. "They have opened the door for a peaceful dialogue between the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North). "The Olympic spirit has brought two sides together that for too long were divided by mistrust and animosity. "The Olympic spirit has brought real hope for a brighter future for everyone on the Korean peninsula." Bach said it had been a "long and difficult journey" to organise an Olympics in Korea, whose two sides are divided by a heavily fortified border -- just 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the Games site -- and remain technically at war. Officials from France, Germany and Austria all expressed concerns about sending athletes as tensions spiralled last year, when North Korea fired a series of missile tests and exchanged threats of war with the United States. But Bach said: "In all the conversations we had, the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 were never put in doubt. On the contrary, we could always feel support." "Despite the sometimes worrying political circumstances, we were always standing at the side of our Korean hosts and never talked of a Plan B," he added. 'Impossible dream' South Korean President Moon Jae-In has long argued for engagement to bring the North to the negotiating table over its nuclear ambitions. But not all of his countrymen agree and there is a public perception that Moon's administration made too many concessions to the North to secure its participation at the Olympics. Chiming with Bach, Moon said: "Something truly wonderful is taking place in the divided and war-torn nation... throughout the world the message of peace is echoing." "One or two months ago, many countries were concerned with the safety of the Pyeongchang Olympic Games. North Korea's participating in the Games and a unified team under the banner of peace seemed like an impossible dream then," he added. North Korea is sending 22 athletes to Pyeongchang, along with a large number of officials and an all-female cheer squad. A unified Korean women's ice hockey team, whose squad includes 12 players from the North, on Sunday made its debut ahead of the Games, losing 3-1 to Sweden in a practice match. The team has proved polarising in South Korea, where it has been blamed for a sudden drop in Moon's approval ratings. While enthusiastic supporters cheered on the joint team, protesters chanting "Pyongyang Olympics!" also gathered outside, stamping on a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and ripping up the blue-and-white Korean unification flag.

Pyeongchang Olympics brings 'real hope' to divided Koreas, says Bach

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US has no plans of meeting North Korea officials in PyeongChang Olympics

Korean unity, historic handshake as Pyeongchang Olympics open

Pyeongchang Olympics brings 'real hope' to divided Koreas, says Bach