Seoul's presidential Blue House rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month's Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes. Some opposition politicians and conservatives in South Korea have criticised North Korea's participation in the Games to be held in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the "Pyongyang Olympics". The official was referring to North Korea by its full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Separately, North Korea announced on Tuesday it will mark Feb. 8 as a new anniversary for the founding of its military. The South Korean military said a detailed analysis was needed to understand the North's intention behind the date change.

Source: dna January 23, 2018 14:26 UTC