The International Olympic Committee will pay for the athletes, and the senior officials’ costs will be covered by the South Korean government from a separate fund. Wednesday’s move will no doubt anger proponents of a “maximum pressure” approach toward the North Korean regime — an approach led by the Trump administration — as well as South Korean taxpayers, who were already highly skeptical of the inter-Korean outreach. The International Olympic Committee is bankrolling the participation of all the North Korean athletes. The South Korean government will decide later whether to fund North Korea’s participation in the Paralympics, a Unification Ministry spokesman said. After hearing from the North Korean delegation upon their return to Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un said it was “very impressive” that the South had “specially prioritized” the North Koreans during their visit.

Source: National Post February 14, 2018 15:54 UTC