HISTORICAL DECISION taken by North Korea: Sends STATE HEAD in South Korea, unprecedented

HISTORICAL DECISION taken by North Korea: Sends STATE HEAD in South Korea, unprecedented

North Korea's head Kim Yong-nam is due to pay a visit to Pyeongchang this week at the Winter Olympics and become the highest-ranking Pyongyang official ever to visit South Korea , writes BBC News.

Kim Yong-nam is to attend Friday, at the opening ceremony of the JO, confirmed the North,
The two Koreas will scroll under one flag at the opening ceremony.

This visit signals a "thaw" in inter-Korean relations, but some experts find it unlikely to have any effect on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The visit will take three days, and Kim will lead the North Korean 22-member delegation.

Kim Yong-nam, aged 90, saw all three members of the Stalinist dynasty in his career.
Through his very symbolic function, he receives the accreditations of foreign diplomats in Pyongyang. As such, he is the one who sends condolences or congratulatory messages to foreign leaders.

He holds the presidency of the so-called North Korean Parliament - the Supreme People's Assembly - in 1998.
Unlike the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-nam has made visits abroad.

In August 2017, he paid a visit to Iran, where he participated in the second term of Hassan Rohani's investiture. He also participated in the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics in Russia in 2014.

Kim Yong-nam is considered a loyal follower of leadership.
"How he acts and expresses himself under the direction of leadership, Kim makes no mistakes. That's why he was able to keep his high-ranking post in a country where cleanliness is commonplace, "a North Korean transfiguration quoted by the South Korean press agency Yonhap said.

A South Korean presidential official told the BBC that Kim's visit reflects the North's willingness to improve inter-Korean relations and demonstrates the sincerity of Pyongyang.
Seoul announced he wants to hold high-level talks with the North Korean delegation during its visit, according to Yonhap.

By attending the opening ceremony of the OH, Kim Yong-nam will be in the presence of US Vice President Mike Pence, in the context of strong tensions between Pyongyang and Washington on North Korean nuclear ambitions.