High-level inter-Korean talks began at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Peace House in Panmunjeom on the South Korean side of the border.

The North’s five-member delegation led by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, arrived at the meeting venue after walking across the Military Demarcation Line at around 9:30 a.m.

The South’s five-member delegation, led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, was already there, having arrived at around 8:46. 

The two sides are expected to focus discussions on arranging the North’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and on ways to improve inter-Korean ties. 

Tuesday’s talks are expected to touch on the route North Korean athletes would take to get to the South, whether the two Koreas will make a joint entrance at the Winter Games and the North’s sending of high-level figures and a cheering squad.