IOC vows to cover costs of North Korean athletes participating in 2018 PyeongChang Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is willing to cover all costs for North Korean athletes if they participate in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, a Washington-based news outlet reported Saturday.

The IOC told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that it is ready to pay for "all costs" through the Olympic Solidarity program if North Korea wants to compete at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. The Olympic Solidarity is a scholarship program designed to support national Olympic bodies participating in the Games and especially those in need of financial assistance.

The IOC said that in order to assist the North Korean Olympic body in joining training camps and competing in winter sports, it is cooperating with the International Ski Federation and the International Skating Union. The IOC added it has also organized a special support program for North Korea's PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls, according to RFA.

The IOC also regularly contacts North Korea's Olympic committee, and North Korean athletes are welcome to compete at the PyeongChang Olympics, RFA reported.

North Korea didn't have any qualified athletes at the previous Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. But in September, North Korean figure skating tandem Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik qualified for the Winter Olympics south of the border and expectations have been rising whether Pyongyang will send them to the PyeongChang Olympics.

PyeongChang 2018 organizers and the South Korean government have called on North Korea to participate in the PyeongChang Games and help diffuse tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be staged in the host city of PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, and two other nearby cities -- Gangneung and Jeongseon -- from Feb. 9 to 25. (Yonhap)