South Korean delegation heads north to inspect cultural and sporting exchange sites

南 선발대 동해선 육로로 방북…"꼼꼼히 살피고 오겠다" A delegation from South Korea will continue its examination of facilities in North Korea on this Wednesday,.. before sending a team of South Korean athletes north of the border to stay and train. The team will tour the Masikryong ski resort as well as a performance hall in Mount Kumgang and a military airfield to examine their suitability for joint cultural and sporting events. Kwon Jang-ho reports. The twelve-member South Korean inspection team arrived at the Donghae Highway Transit Office, the last stop on the eastern side of the peninsula before heading north of the border for a three-day visit. "Upon the agreement of the two Korea's, we will thoroughly carry out our inspections so that all the events taking place at Mount Kumgang and the Masikryong ski resort go without a hitch." With that they headed through to customs and towards the border, to be the first South Korean officials to step foot on North Korean soil in almost two years. "Behind those gates is the Military Demarcation Line, where the delegation crossed into North Korea. And then just about a half hour car ride from there, they will reach the Mount Kumgang tourist area for the start of their inspections." At Mount Kumgang, about 20 kilometers from the border, they will inspect a performance hall, where a joint cultural performance is set to take place. Mount Kumgang has special significance for the two Koreas as it used to be a joint resort area, as well as a location where separated family reunions took place. Next, they will travel further north, to the multi-million-dollar Masikryong Ski resort, built under the orders of leader Kim Jong-un. It's where joint-training sessions between the two Koreas will take place before PyeongChang 2018, but controversially those training sessions are unlikely to involve any South Korean Olympic athletes, which has led some to criticize their purpose. The inspection team will also stop by at the Kalma Airport nearby, a military airfield that the South Korean ski trainees will likely use to reach the ski resort. This visit is the second of three back-to-back inspection visits between the two Koreas in one week. The first concluded Monday, where North Korean officials came south to look at venues for its arts troupe to perform in Seoul and Gangneung during the Olympic period. On Thursday, the day the South Korean delegation returns home, another North Korean inspection team will follow them south, via a different route, this time to view sporting facilities and accommodation for the North's Olympic athletes. This series of inspection team visits has outlined the urgency and scale of the inter-Korean exchanges that are set to take place during next month's Olympics. Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News, Goseong. Arirang News Facebook:   / arirangtvnews   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV:    / arirang   ARIRANG RADIO:    / music180arirang   ARIRANG NEWS:    / arirangnews   ARIRANG K-POP:    / arirangworld   ARIRANG ISSUE:    / arirangtoday   ARIRANG CULTURE:    / arirangkorean   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube:    / arirangworld   Facebook:   / arirangkpop   Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld