3 January: The
Seoul–Pyongyang hotline is restored to use after almost two years in preparation for high-level talks concerning North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics.[3]
9 January: North and
South Korea agree in the high-level talks for more than two years that North Korean athletes will enter the Winter Olympics.[4][5]
20 January: The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms that North Korea will participate in the Winter Olympics with a team of 22 athletes, 12 of whom are ice hockey players who will play together with South Korean players under the IOC designation
Korea (COR) in
the women's tournament.[6]
8 February: A military parade of 13,000 soldiers is held in Pyongyang. The February 8 date is unusual for parades which are usually held on the
Day of the Sun (15 April) or the
Military Foundation Day (25 April).([7]
May 24: Foreign journalists report that tunnels in the
Punggye-ri nuclear test site have been destroyed by the North Korean government in a move to reduce regional tensions.[16]
3 January: The
Seoul–Pyongyang hotline is restored to use after almost two years in preparation for high-level talks concerning North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics.[3]
9 January: North and
South Korea agree in the high-level talks for more than two years that North Korean athletes will enter the Winter Olympics.[4][5]
20 January: The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms that North Korea will participate in the Winter Olympics with a team of 22 athletes, 12 of whom are ice hockey players who will play together with South Korean players under the IOC designation
Korea (COR) in
the women's tournament.[6]
8 February: A military parade of 13,000 soldiers is held in Pyongyang. The February 8 date is unusual for parades which are usually held on the
Day of the Sun (15 April) or the
Military Foundation Day (25 April).([7]
May 24: Foreign journalists report that tunnels in the
Punggye-ri nuclear test site have been destroyed by the North Korean government in a move to reduce regional tensions.[16]