North Korea's participation at Paralympics agreed... but Pyongyang pulls art troupe and cheering squad

North Korea will send its athletes to South Korea's PyeongChang Paralympic Games.Seoul's Unification Ministry made the announcement on Tuesday following inter-Korean talks on the matter.However, there will be no repeat visit by the North's arts troupe or cheering squad... who added that extra touch of glamor to the recently-completed Winter Olympics. Our Kwon Jang-ho tells us more. Another round of inter-Korean talks took place at the border village of Panmunjeom on Tuesday, this time to discuss North Korea's participation at the Paralympics, which open on March 9th.The chief representatives from the two sides began the meeting by expressing their mutual satisfaction with the Winter Olympics that had just concluded."The Olympics were much richer with the North Korean delegation coming, and I believe it contributed greatly to delivering a message of peace and cooperation to the world.""I believe this 23rd Winter Olympics became an opportunity that raised the stature of the Korean people." They then sat down to hash out arrangements for the Paralympics.The South's unification ministry revealed that the two sides agreed for the North Korean delegation to arrive on March 7th, two days before the opening ceremony.They will cross the land border, via the Gyeongui line, in Paju, north of Seoul. The delegation will consist of four North Korean Paralympic Committee members, along with 20 athletes and minders, 12 more than has been approved by the International Paralympic Committee so far.A final approval from the IPC is expected to be made in the coming days. But unexpectedly, Pyongyang have decided not to send the arts troupe and cheering squad that Seoul had initially agreed to in talks last month.The ministry said that the North Koreans cited some internal reasons, and that they felt the the arts troupe and cheering squad that had come for the Olympics had done enough to raise spirits and improve relations. Although Seoul says the talks were successful and that the North's participation in the Paralympics will further make it a celebration for peace and cooperation, the North's sudden change of heart to bring a small delegation raises questions about their commitment to the cause.Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.