The Buzz | North Korea to send top ranking general to Olympics closing ceremony

North Korea will send one of its highest ranking figures, general Kim Yong-chol, to Sunday closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

General Kim was the North’s intelligence chief, and is believed to have plotted several attacks on South Korea, BBC reported.

Kim leads the department for inter-Korea relations, and used to head its spying agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

The agency was accused of masterminding attacks on South Korea, including the sinking of the Cheonan navy ship which killed 46 South Korean sailors in 2010.

North Korea’s attendance at the Olympics is seen as a thaw in tense relations between the two Koreas. But, according to the BBC, there are concerns Pyongyang has been using the event simply to improve its international image.

Categories Asia-Pacific