Ivanka in Seoul for Games, diplomacy

Seoul, February 23 

US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump on Friday arrived in South Korea to reaffirm the “strong and enduring commitment” to the people of the US’s ally, two weeks after the North Korean leader sent his sister here on a mission seen as an attempt to undermine Seouls alliance with Washington.

Ivanka Trump, who holds the title of senior White House adviser, plans to have dinner with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the presidential Blue House in the capital. 

She will then lead an American delegation to Pyeongchang, east of Seoul, where the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics will be held on Sunday.

Her South Korean trip coincided with a planned visit by a North Korean delegation that will attend the closing ceremony. The delegation will be headed by Kim Yong-chol, Vice Chairman of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

Their overlapping schedule is sparking speculation that there could be a possibility of some kind of contact between the US and North Korean officials on the sidelines of the sporting event, though government officials from both sides say the chances were “slim”.

Her arrival came two weeks after the surprise visit by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, created something of a sensation in South Korea, overshadowing Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to the Olympics at the same time. 

Kim Yo-jong met Moon and delivered her brother’s “surprise” invitation to visit the North for a summit meeting. Despite South Korean expectations that Kim Yo-jong and Pence would use the Games as an opportunity for their own diplomacy, the two ignored each other. — IANS