South and North Korean basketball players played two friendly matches in Pyongyang's Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon as part of the ongoing sports diplomacy between the two Koreas.
Many senior officials watched the first inter-Korean basketball match in 15 years and North Korea's sports minister Kim Il-guk, expressed hope the two Koreas could do more in their sports exchanges in the future.
Despite some speculation, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un --who's known for his love for basketball-- didn't attend Wednesday's games and Thursday's game as well, since he was performing on-site checks on the infrastructure and facilities.
Meanwhile, the next round of North Korea's denuclearization talks with the US is scheduled later next week as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Pyongyang for the third time on Friday.
Expected to arrive in Pyongyang on Friday, local time, Pompeo is to stay overnight in North Korea for the first time, before leaving for Japan on Saturday.
During his two-day stay, Pompeo is expected to meet Kim Jong-un and possibly vice chairman of the Workers' Party's Central Committee Kim Yong-chol, to discuss how to implement the June 12th Joint Statement signed by the leaders of North Korea and the US, which includes Pyongyang's denuclearization.
With US media reports recently showing skepticism over North Korea's sincerity in giving up its nuclear program, many are saying that Pompeo is going to have a come back with some concrete plans for the nuclear disarmament.
Source: Arirang News
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