Tensions between North and South Korea spiked today as the two nations’ athletes marched separately into the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang for the Paralympic Games opening ceremony.
The two Koreas marched together at the opening ceremony of last month’s Winter Olympic.
But today they arrived independently after failing to agree on which version of the unified flag to use.
North Korea had wanted to use a version of the Korean peninsula flag that includes islands disputed with Japan.
Sin Eui-hyun of South Korea carries the flag during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang
North Korea’s athletes arrived this time unaccompanied. North and South Korea failed to agree on which flag they would march under
The North Korea delegation parades into the Olympic Stadium, this time without South Korea by its side
The hermit state refused to enter alongside South Korea over a dispute about what flag the united team would fly
South Korean delegates carry their nation’s flag into the stadium. The Winter Olympics opening ceremony may actually be one of the last times the stadium is used
Japan had complained to South Korea after North Korean fans were seen waving the flag at a women’s ice hockey game last month between the combined North and South Korean team and Sweden.
‘We understand the difficulties for the International Paralympic Committee,’ International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams said.
‘This is not an easy process as we know from our own experience.
‘We were still negotiating right up until the very last moment. Four hours before we still did not have agreement for a joint march.’
The flag depicts a map of the undivided Korean peninsula, including the disputed islands – known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese – in the Sea of Japan, known to Koreans as the East Sea.
North Korea’s delegation to the Paralympics said on Thursday it ‘does not accept the fact that Dokdo cannot be marked due to political issues held in Korea’, according to the statement from the Korea Paralympic Committee.
In response to the North’s claim, the International Paralympics Committee said the two Koreas will march individually as the flag cannot be changed.
As the Paralympic flame was lit, multicoloured fireworks erupted across the stands, much to the entertainment of the amassed crowds
As the sun set across PyeongChang the Paralympic flame was lit, signalling the start of the nine-day-long contest
The night sky was illuminated by the vibrant fireworks spewing from the Olympic stadium
The Paralympic flame is carried up to its final destination. As many as 42 different nations will take part in the event
South Korea was eager to use the Winter Olympics to help ease tensions spurred by the North’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The opening ceremony on February 9 was attended by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong, as well as Kim Yong Nam, the North’s nominal head of state.
US Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were also present.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he was prepared to meet North Korea’s leader in what would be the first face-to-face encounter between the two countries’ leaders and potentially mark a major breakthrough in nuclear tensions with Pyongyang.
North and South Korea will also hold their first summit in more than a decade in late April.
The South Korean delegation arrived waving flag and decked out in white cold weather sportswear and bobbled black hats
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook attended the ceremony
The 35,000-capacity Olympic Stadium was built for last month’s Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympics at a cost of $106million
Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty
The US delegation’s arrival was accompanied by huge projections which turned the packed stands into the likeness of the nation’s flag
Dancers twirl to traditional South Korean music as the ceremony gets into swing. North Korea’s participation is still regarded as another sign of the inter-Korean thaw that has now extended to plans for a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
Adams told Reuters that the Winter Olympics, which South Korea had dubbed the ‘Peace Games’, had helped facilitate progress in calming tensions.
‘The joint march and the joint hockey team, and also the opportunity for direct informal discussions that took place during the Games, have paved the way for progress in talks,’ he said.
‘This door remains open … and this ‘open door’ is clear from the summit that has been agreed between the two Korean leaders scheduled for April, as well as the opening up of a direct hotline between them for the first time for many years.
Andrea Eskau carries the flag of Germany as she leads her teammates out into the sub-zero temperatures
The British delegation arrives, led by flag bearer and snowboarder Owen Pick. Temperatures dropped to a low as -4C during the spectacular ceremony
All smiles: The US athletes entered the stadium to ringing cheers amid news Trump will meet Kim Jong-un face-to-face in May
‘For our part, the IOC will continue the process discussing with our partners in the National Olympic Committee of DPRK (North Korea) how we can continue to work on participation of the country’s athletes.’
The IOC along with international sports federations supported North Korean athletes financially and in kind to help them participate at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.