South Korea offers cruise to ferry North Korea delegation to Olympics

Jung Yeon-je | AFP | Getty Images

A South Korean worker sets up a cable at the Olympic Stadium, the venue of the opening and closing ceremony for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Dec. 12, 2017.

South Korea is willing to roll out more than just the red carpet for its northern neighbor should the latter decide to participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang.

The provincial government of Gangwon, in which the games will be held, indicated Wednesday it would provide a cruise ship to North Korea to ferry athletes to the games, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

The vessel would likely be a 20,000-ton cruise with around 390 rooms, able to house a maximum of 1,000 people, Yonhap said, citing a local official. Aside from being a mode of transportation, the cruise ship will also serve as the North Korean delegation’s accommodation during the games, which officially begin on Feb. 9.

Choi Moon-soon, the governor of Gangwon province, reportedly made the suggestion to North Korean officials last month in China, local radio station KBS World Radio said.

The latest news came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signaled he was “open to dialogue” with the South and would even think about dispatching a delegation to the games. Those comments were regarded as “a positive sign” by organizers of this year’s games.

Read Yonhap’s story for more on North Korea possibly participating in the games.