Koreas try out Olympic diplomacy at North Korean ski resort
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Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Image 1 of 8 A mother and her daughter take a rest on the slopes at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The ski resort, built in 2013 at the order of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is to be the site of joint training for North and South Korean skiers ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics. less A mother and her daughter take a rest on the slopes at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The ski resort, built in 2013 at the order of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is to be the ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 2 of 8 Skiers at North Korea’s Masik Pass ski resort race down the slopes as patriotic music blares from a big screen television in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort is to host joint training for North and South Korean skiers ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics, with start in South Korea on Feb. 9. less Skiers at North Korea’s Masik Pass ski resort race down the slopes as patriotic music blares from a big screen television in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort is to host joint training for North ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 3 of 8 An imported snowmobile comes back from the top of a ski run at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. Despite international sanctions on luxury goods, the showcase resort built at the order of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2013 has everything from ski boots to ski lifts brought in from around the world. The resort is coming under increased attention ahead of its first joint training with skiers from South Korea ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics. less An imported snowmobile comes back from the top of a ski run at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. Despite international sanctions on luxury goods, the showcase resort built at the ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 4 of 8 North Korean schoolchildren prepare to ski at the Masik Pass ski resort Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which was built at the order of Kim Jong Un in 2013, will host a training session for North and South Korean skiers ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics in a sign of budding detente between the two countries after a year of particularly high tensions over the North’s nuclear weapons and long-range missile tests. less North Korean schoolchildren prepare to ski at the Masik Pass ski resort Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which was built at the order of Kim Jong Un in 2013, will host a training session for North and South ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 5 of 8 Image 6 of 8 North Korean schoolchildren ski at the Masik Pass ski resort on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which was built at the order of Kim Jong Un in 2013, will host a training session for North and South Korean skiers ahead of the Pyeongchang Olympics in a sign of budding detente between the two countries after a year of particularly high tensions over the North’s nuclear weapons and long-range missile tests. less North Korean schoolchildren ski at the Masik Pass ski resort on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which was built at the order of Kim Jong Un in 2013, will host a training session for North and South Korean ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 7 of 8 Gondolas bring skiers up to the top of the slopes at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which will be hosting training for South and North Korean skiers ahead of the Pyongyang Olympics, is getting some attention recently as a symbol of a budding detente between the two Koreas ahead of the Games, which begin on Feb. 9. less Gondolas bring skiers up to the top of the slopes at the Masik Pass ski resort in North Korea Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The resort, which will be hosting training for South and North Korean skiers ahead of the ... more Photo: Eric Talmadge, AP Image 8 of 8 Koreas try out Olympic diplomacy at North Korean ski resort 1 / 8 Back to Gallery
MASIK PASS, North Korea (AP) — North Korea's only luxury ski resort is getting a taste of the Olympic spotlight, though it is a long way from hosting any events.
The Masik Pass ski resort has become something of a symbol of a budding detente between the two Koreas after a year of particularly high tensions over the North's nuclear weapons and long-range missile tests.
The resort, completed at the order of leader Kim Jong Un in 2013, has been chosen to host joint training for North and South Korean skiers ahead of the Games' Feb. 9 opening date in South Korea.
A team of South Korean officials inspected Masik last week.
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The decision follows a surprise proposal by Kim in his annual New Year's address for the North to send a delegation to the Games.
Though some have called the move an attempt to deflect attention away from the North's nuclear program and drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul, South Korea has generally welcomed the idea and the two countries have held high-level talks and exchanged advance teams to work out the details.
North Korea has a relatively thin history of alpine skiing, but Kim has used the resort to promote the sport.
The resort is a popular winter stop for foreign tourists. More often, though, it's used by schools or factories or other workplaces to reward workers who have shown extra effort on the job.
Despite international sanctions on luxury items, the resort is well equipped with skis and ski equipment from all over the world.
On Sunday, resort workers buzzed up and down the slopes in snowmobiles bearing the iconic Canadian "Ski-Doo" brand name and the rental area was stocked full of Nordic brand skis, among others. To add a decidedly North Korea flair, a huge television screen standing near the base of the ski runs blared patriotic music played by the country's most popular musical group, the Moranbong Band.
Bringing even a tiny slice of the Olympic extravaganza to the ski resort would be a coup for Kim.
His regime is placing a high priority on developing Masik — along with the nearby port city of Wonsan and the scenic Mount Kumgang — as a tourist attraction over the next year. The area has been designated as a focus for construction projects, including more hotels. In 2015, it got a new airport, though it has been used only for domestic flights since.
Success will not come easily.
The United States recently slapped a travel ban on North Korea following the death of tourist and college student Otto Warmbier, who died shortly after his release from North Korean custody and return to the U.S. With China also tightening its sanctions on the North, significantly increasing the flow of tourists would likely involve opening the door to more South Koreans.
That would require better relations and less animosity than what has been the norm in recent years, when ties have been chilly at best. The possibility of being used for the North's advertising purposes, meanwhile, has raised some concern in the South. In a move that might also ruffle some feathers south of the Demilitarized Zone, North Korea is also expected to hold a major military event, probably a parade, on the day before the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony.
Even so, for the time being at least, Pyongyang appears to be looking for an Olympic truce — and, maybe, a bit of the Pyeongchang spotlight.
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Talmadge has been the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge
The Unification Flag of Korea, which both North and South Korean Olympians will use to represent them in the games.
On Sunday, female  players from  and  joined one another for a training session before the upcoming Winter Olympics. Players from the two Koreas are to compete together as a united team for the events hosted in , South Korea, which are scheduled to start on February 9; Seoul's Unification Ministry said. The cross-border gesture is part of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the divided  and the team was approved by the .

The  selected Pyeongchang in 2011 to host the event, marking South Korea's first opportunity since the  in . The earlier event was marred by violence as North Korea had  several months prior, killing over 100 and boycotted the event. Inter-Korean relations have changed considerably in the ensuing thirty years, including the two sending unified teams for table tennis and youth football in other non-Olympic competitions.

The announcement that the two countries would compete together was a stated goal of South Korean President . Last year, he announced the proposal and the two nations went into discussion this month. After two weeks, they made the announcement to field a consolidated 35-strong team of ice hockey players and have joint skiing exercises with both team coaches involved.

According to Yonhap News Agency estimates, about 80% of South Koreans support dialogue, but the move to have a joint team has been controversial. Over 10,000 South Korean citizens sent a petition to South Korean President Moon opposing the union and a group of North Korean  held a protest at the South Korean  on January 24, tearing apart photos of the North Korean leader, . Public support for eventual reunification of the Korean peninsula has waned in recent years, with the younger generation more skeptical of the possibility.