PRESIDENT JONG UN'S SISTER TO VISIT SOUTH

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, centre, arrives at
 Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on Friday.

SEOUL : *President Kim Jong Un's sister to visit South for Olympics*.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, an increasingly prominent figure in the the country's leadership, will be part of the-

North Korea's ruling family to visit South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Analysts say her inclusion in the Olympics delegation shows North Korea's ambition to use the Olympics to break out from Diplomatic isolation by improving relations with the South-

Which it could use as a bridge for approaching the United States.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's office welcomed North Korea's decision, saying it showed the North Korea's willingness to cooperate in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Kim Yo Jong will meet with Moon, a liberal who has expressed a desire to reach out to the North.

Experts said by sending a youthful, photogenic person who will undoubtedly attract international attention during the games, North Korea is trying construct a fresher and warmer public image and defuse-

Potential US efforts to use the Olympics to highlight North Korea's brutal human rights record.

Kim Jong Un might have also seen that US President Donald Trump was sending his daughter Ivanka, to the Olympics closing ceremony and-

Decided to match the move by sending his sister, said Hong Min, an analyst of Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification.

By sending a relative, ''Kim Jong Un may be trying to present himself as an equal to Donald Trump,'' Hong said.

[AP]