the bbc's laura bicker reports. ♪ laura: "let's meet again," they sing.n the right, a k-pop star, on the left, ang png pinup. gla thenostalgice pass, which proves to emotional for the north korean head of state. this time, president moon sits c evser to kim jong-un's sister. his new friends are not welcomed by all. atese hard-line conservatives burning the unifn flag protest regularly. but this time, the see -- say the moon administration is turning its back on the u.s. while befriending north korea. this, however, does not look like to world leaders at odds. this informal chat during an olympic speedskating event appears to have pved pivotal, and now mike pence says the u.s. will talk to north korea while still imposing sanctions. >> i think moon jae-in is not getting enough credit. people are calling this a north korean charm offensive. it is actually a south korean charm offensive. itt is critical te united states is clear on this, because there's only so much south korea can do on nuclear weapons.o you have remember, north korea does not feel threaten

laura bicker reports. laura: "all hail to the general," they shout in numbers , tens of thousands of loyay soldiers disheir adulation, and they are reported with rare words from their leader. kim jong-un: at a time like omthiswhen the u.s. and its followers are making such a fuss around the korean peninsula, our atlitary should be on high alert and step up prepns for a fight. laura: speaking from behind a pillar is kim jong-un'snt infll sister.th she will bfirst ever member of the kim dynasty to travel south and represent the regime at the winter olympics. on display were missiles that kim jong-un claims can the u.s. it is bound to heighten tenons on the eve of the winter games that south korea hoped would be known as the peace olympics. just a few hundred miles away in seoul, the u.s. vice president is meeting the south korean leader with a messagis own. the u.s. wants president moon to keep up pressure on the north, creaseve announced an in sanctions. roopser, as he addressed in japan, he warned pyongyang

laura bicker reports from seoul.ed, the korean players head onto the rink to prove they are notjust pawns in a political drama, or an experiment in sports diplomacy. they fight hard against high—ranking sweden, willed on by a crowd eager to witness a piece of history, and waving the flag of a unified korea. translation: i was so touched. ifeel so good because i felt the passion of the players, and it felt like we were one together. it was very meaningful to all of us, and especially for my son, it was a very meaningful event. but this team's formation has been controversial. the south korean hockey coach has had to tell players she's worked with for years that they've lost their spot to make way for north koreans such as this player. we're not allowed to ask the north koreans any questions at the press conference, but the south korean coach was frank when i asked her about the challenges. so, adding players that close to the olympics that haven't been with us for the last four years, learning our systems, kind of und

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. stay with us on bbc news.n men use beauty products? we will hear from a youtube vlogger who is trying to change perceptions about men and makeup. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally. the aircraft was returning from belgrade, where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it "a piece of cake". thousands of people have given the yachstwoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. now in case you missed it — it's super bowl sunday.y going head to head with the philadelphia eagles in a frozen stadium in minnesota. this the 52nd super bowl, one of the big events of the us calendar being watched by millions across the globe. viewers did have to sit through a short blackout in the coverage due toa short blackout in the coverage due to a technical problem. the philadelphia eagles are the underdogs — a badge they wear proudly with many fans sporting dog masks — but they are currently leading in the second half 29 to 25. we'll keep you updated right through the game. talks in germany between angela merkel‘s christian democrats and the social democrats on forming a coalition government will now run into another day. both parties had been aiming to finalise a deal during talks over the weekend but it's understood they still have outstanding issues to resolve. 0ur berlin correspondent damien mcguiness said the uncertainty could have wider consequences for the eu. she has already tried once to form government with the libe

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. now in case you missed it, it's superbowl sunday.tly going head to head with the philadelphia eagles in a frozen stadium in minnesota. this the 52nd superbowl — one of the big tv events of the us calendar watched by millions around the world. the philadelphia eagles went into the game as the underdogs — a badge they wear proudly with many fans sporting dog masks — and they are currently trailing 32 to 33 in the final quarter of what has been a nail biting match. we'll keep you updated right through the game. stay with us on bbc news. plenty more to come, including... why do so many south korean men use beauty products? we'll hear from a youtube vlogger who's trying to change perceptions about men and makeup. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted imme

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.s government wants 0xfam to explain how it dealt with allegations of aid workers paying for sex. israel attacks dozens of syrian targets after one of its f—16 jets came under anti—aircraft fire and crashed. at least 18 people are dead and 60 injured as a double—decker bus overturns in hong kong. let's get more now on our main story. the department for international development is reviewing its work with 0xfam, following claims the charity covered up the use of prostitutes by some of its aid workers in earthquake—hit haiti. 0xfam insists it publicised the action it took against the workers, some of whom were fired. earlier i spoke to the haitian ambassador to the uk. he accused 0xfam of a "cover—up" and said his government was outraged that the 0xfam staff had been allowed to leave the country without the matter being reported to the police. first of all, let me express the shock of my government, after seeing those allegations throughout the investigation by the times. it is really sho

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.om the winter olympics in south korea and the rest of the day's sport here's mike bushell at the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. the action is well and truly under way at the winter olympics in south korea and it's been a rather dramatic first day, with gold medals won, a good start for speed skater elise christie and disappointment for great britain's snowboarders. andy swiss reports from pyeongchang. she is britain's biggest medal hope... commentator: christie goes to the front. and elise christie was soon showing precisely why. she led her 500 metres heat from start to finish, setting a new 0lympic record. it was some statement of intent and after her disqualification at the last games, what relief! i was so nervous and i was like, "maybe i'm not going to do this because i'm so nervous," but, actually, it was fine and i got up to the line and i was excited and i'm just glad i got to race in front of everyone again. but british hopes in the snowboarding came crashing down. jamie ni

the bbc‘s laura bicker reports.d determined, the korean players head onto the rink to prove they are notjust pawns in a political drama or an experiment in sports diplomacy. they fight hard against high—ranking sweden. willed on by a crowd eager to witness a piece of history and waving the flag of a unified korea. translation: i was so touched, i feel so good because i felt the passion of the players and it felt like we were one together. but this team's formation has been controversial. the south korean hockey coach has had to tell players she has worked with for years that they have lost their spot to make way for north koreans, such as this player. we are not allowed to ask the north koreans any questions at the press conference, but the south korean coach was frank when i asked her about the challenges. translation: any players that have not been with us for the last four years, learning our systems and understanding how our team plays, it is difficult. north korean is different to south korean so for our team m

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.rnment will summon the oxfam representative in haiti to explain how it dealt with allegations of aid workers paying for sex. israel's carried out attacks on a dozen targets in syria including air defence systems. after one of its jets came under syrian anti—aircraft fire and crashed. at least 18 people are dead and 60 injured as a double—decker bus overturns in hong kong in sport, arsenal are six points away from the top four, harry kane gave tottenham and 1—0 lead in front of a record premier league crown. in dublin, bonus point victory for ireland over italy, and england play wales shortly. elise christie has qualified second fastest in the 500 metres heats in the short track speed skating at the winter olympics in pyeongchang, and australia have thrashed england by seven wickets in melbourne, booking their place in the final of the t20 tri—series. we will have a full round—up at 6:30pm. president trump has blocked the release of a classified democratic party memo over the fbi's russ

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.d democratic party memo over the fbi's russia probe. the memo rebutted claims there was anti—trump bias in the fbi's investigation of russian meddling in the us presidential election. the white house said the memo couldn't be released because it contained classified material. our washington correspondent david willisjoins us. this isjust one our washington correspondent david willis joins us. this is just one of two memos, very confusing. talk us through it please. a little bit confusing. you may see smoke coming out of my ears as i continue! last week, basically the republicans came up week, basically the republicans came up with a memo detailing what they said were surveillance abuses on the pa rt said were surveillance abuses on the part of the fbi involving a former trump campaign aide called carter page. that was back in 2016. the fbi and the justice page. that was back in 2016. the fbi and thejustice department recommended to president trump who ultimately have to sign off on the

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.t trump has sparked controversy by praising a former white house aide who resigned earlier this week amid allegations he abused two former wives. mr trump said rob porter maintained his innocence and had done a good job. jon sopel has more. he was the clean cut, chiseljawed, harvard law, oxford—educated rising star of this white house, in charge of controlling the flow of paper across the president's desk. but after three days of confusion and chaos, he has quit amid a swirl of domestic abuse allegations. but today, the president seemed to be more concerned about porter than his victims. it's a tough time for him. he did a very good job when he was in the white house. and we hope he has a wonderful career, and hopefully he will have a great career ahead of him. that, despite this photo emerging of one of his ex—wives with a black eye after allegedly being punched by porter, and reports that senior staff in the white house have been aware of these allegations for months. generaljon kay,

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.cratic party memo over the fbi's russia probe. the memo rebutted claims there was anti—trump bias in the fbi's investigation of russian meddling in the us presidential election. the white house said the memo couldn't be released because it contained classified material. we can speak to our washington correspondent, david willis. it is the battle of the memos, very confusing, take us through it, please. yes, it is a little bit confusing, so i would recommend some popcorn and a comfy seat! we will attempt to talk about it now. last week president from signed off on the release of a dip other can memo, detailing what it said were surveillance abuses on the part of the fbi involving a former trump campaign aide, a man called carter page, back in 2016. the fbi and the justice department chair advised against him releasing that e—mail, that memo, but he decided to do so regardless. then, the republicans got the rebuttal of that e—mail together, they sent it to the president, this time, he de

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.members of the so—called islamic state group who are from london should be tried at the international criminal court in the hague. the bbc understands that the two, who were part of a unit thought to have murdered 27 hostages, have been stripped of their british citizenship. 0ur political correspondent chris mason reports. this is tobias ellwood. he was called a hero after giving first aid to pc keith palmer, the policeman who was stabbed to death during a terrorist attack last year. he also lost his brother in a terrorist attack in bali in 2002. now, mr ellwood, a defence minister has intervened over what should, happen to these men, alexanda kotey, and el shafee elsheikh. they were part of a gang suspected of murdering alan henning, a driver and eight worker from eccles, and david haines, a driver and aid worker from eccles, and david haines, a long—time aid workerfrom perth. in interviews with the times and the daily telegraph, tobias ellwood demands what he calls an agreed internat

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. let's get the sport. good evening.ir six nations title with another confident and comfortable win over italy. it was an entertaining performance from eddiejones‘ side as they ran away with a 46—15 victory in rome. patrick gearey watched the action. the faces, the voices change, the results do not. when at home, or in rome, england have always beaten italy. their philosophy demand is that this team forget that and the fa ct that this team forget that and the fact they have only lost once in three years in the six nations. your mind must be fully on the next pass, the first tries. anthony watson scored it. with the next world cup 18 months away england have been trying to establish a cruel streak and with the ruthless instinct of the hunter, watson was over again five minutes later. italy were not simply wounded prey. they find an escape. tommaso benvenuti the getaway runner. england stayed further down the road. owen farrell before the break, then another. this is proof that there is space to be exploited, even if this

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.scam involving the apple itunes service. the tax authorities say that elderly and vulnerable people are falling victims to a scam which encourages them to pay fraudsters using itunes vouchers bought in high street shops. our business correspondentjoe lynam says it's a sophisticated scam. they acquire the contact details, usually for elderly people, call them up and say that, you have a huge tax bill outstanding, and that if they don't pay it immediately, they will contact the police, the fraudsters would say, or seize their personal assets. and so they say, you can pay straightaway, if you go down to your retailer and by these itunes vouchers with your own money and then call out the 16 digit number on the back digit number on the back of these cards over the phone to us. how does it work? well, that number can buy a lot of stuff on the itunes system, you could buy system, you could buy an iphone or whatever as well as songs. it has a cash value. so, the criminal could swap that number

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang. on this peninsula in years.taken part in a march in the centre of belfast calling for action on the legacy of northern ireland's troubles. for action on the legacy the march was organised by a number for action on the legacy of groups representing people who lost their lives. they say promises to deal with the past, including a five—year plan to complete outstanding inquests, have been broken. to complete outstanding inquests, china's ruling communist party is expected to abandon a rule limiting the time a president can serve in office — a move which could see the current leader xi jinping stay on indefinitely. he had been due to step down in 2023, after ten years in the job. the in 2023, after ten years in the job. change will be 5 evidence the change will be seen as further evidence of his growing hold on power. italians head to the polls in a week in a general election that has the rest of europe on the edge of its seat. populist politicians are leading the polls with italians angry about migration, frustrate

seoul, as the country prepares our seoul correspondent, laura bicker, sent this report.y are not just pawns in a political drama, or an experiment in sports diplomacy. they fight hard against high—ranking sweden, willed on by a crowd eager to witness a piece of history, and waving the flag of a unified korea. the translation: i was so touched. the i feel so good because i felt the passion of the players, and it felt like we were one together. passion of the players, and it felt it was very meaningful to all of us, and especially for my son, it was a very meaningful event. but this team‘s formation has been controversial. the south korean hockey coach has had to tell players she‘s worked with for years that they‘ve lost their spot to make way for north koreans such as this player. their spot to make way for north we‘re not allowed to ask the north koreans any questions at the press conference, but the south korean coach was frank when i asked her about the challenges. so, adding players that close to the olympics that haven‘t been with us for the last four years, learning

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang. card scam which is conning victims out of thousands of pounds. outins. or seize their personal assets. the 16 digit number on the back of these cards over the phone to us. how does it work? or whatever as well as songs. it has a cash value. who would give them cash. and this is what angela mcdonald was telling us earlier today. a couple of times and had lost £20,000 as a result. so if such a call comes through, hang up. stuff on an itunes vouchers, you cannot pay a tax bill with it. who has died at the age of 59. after battling cancer. in the political thriller house of cards. humourist and friend". stav danaos has the weather. part one of our weekend was pretty disappointing. conditions on the roads too. things will quieten down for a while. winds, some rain and snow in the forecast as well. this is the band of rain spreading east during the course of the day. this starts to bring some heavy rain to northern ireland. across england and wales. gales developing inland. north wales, north—west england and in towards northern england. maybe 70 mph for a

laura bicker reports from south korea.his is the confident side of south korea. reception from the north korean general sitting behind her. general sitting behind her. to talk to the us, a victory for the south korean leader. colours, highlighting the division, despite the diplomacy. platform at these games. pyongyang is being pushed on its nuclear weapons. each other to solve this in a peaceful manner. a dose of reality. breathing space, but tension still lurks in the background. unfortunately it's not going to last. cooperation between the two koreas and in this olympic games. with a major diplomatic break through. is still the huge problem of its nuclear weapons programme. peninsula in years. stories making the news. destroyed a shop and the flat above in city of leicester. at least six people were injured, two of them critically. to search for more victims. police say there's no indication of terrorism. search for schoolgirls abducted in the north—east. their school in dapchi. to protect the girls. should be considered

laura bicker reports from pyeongchang.took the audience on a fairytale adventure. a celebration of south korea's past, and its hopes for the future. but there was a yearning, too, as the ceremony highlighted this country's quest for peace. korea! these athletes have been divided by a war that never truly ended. they carry the flag of a unified korea, and in one stadium, for one night, decades of rising tension and suspicion ebbed away. in the vip box, a moment most thought they'd never see, a member of the kim dynasty, the sister of the north korean leader, shaking hands with the south korean president. the arrival of kim yo—jong has surprised this tiny town, just miles from the militarised border. translation: it's nice to have the high level delegates from the north and it also feels strange and wondrous. translation: of course i welcome them but i don't know why the south korean government is bending over backwards to appease them. i don't like to see the south serving the north. translation: my heart is melting. the so

laura bicker, bbc news, pyongyang. and the laura bicker. irish prime minister are meeting northern ireland‘s political leaders, amid speculation a deal to restore the devolved government is close. hello, time to bring you the business headlines on afternoon live. i am business headlines on afternoon live. iam ben business headlines on afternoon live. i am ben bland. did barclays bank give qatar a loan which was then used to buy shares in the bank in 2008? that is the question being investigated by the uk‘s serious fraud office. it has charged barclays bank with "unlawful financial assistance". the decision to charge is significant because that‘s the part of the business that holds the banking licence that allows it to operate in different countries. adverts for various products from ben &jerry‘s and martmite to dove soap could disappear from sites like youtube and facebook. unilever, the company behind 400 of the biggest brands has threatened to pull ads if sites don‘t do enough to tackle extremist and illegal content. the british—dutch fir

laura bicker, bbc news, peongchang.thank you very much for talking to us. thank you very much for talking to us. we heard in that report from laura becker, this is a bit of a pr coup for north korea. the north koreans come out of this looking very good. they are athletes alongside the south korean athletes. they have taken over part of the south korean women's ice hockey team. alongside all of this is a great panoply of supporting acts, a tae kwon do demonstration team, and lots and lots of officials and minders. this comesjust a few weeks after we have seen north korea having some pretty provocative missile tests and some very aggressive language. should we see this as a change of heart on is it literally just an attempt to try to woo literally just an attempt to try to woo global opinion and show they have got a softer face. a lot of people who have watched north korea for a long time are trying very hard to believe it is a change of heart. i think the presence of kim jong—un‘s own younger sister was something of a su

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang. with me now is aidan foster carter — a korea analyst.you for talking to us. we heard laura they're saying this is something of a pr coup for north korea. would you agree with that?” am inclined to agree with that. i must say, that was a fantastic package. it was very well balanced. it draws attention to the different views from the south koreans who we re views from the south koreans who were interviewed, from the ones who we re very were interviewed, from the ones who were very emotional and you would be about a country which was tragically cut in half 70s ago, to the others saying while we giving the north koreans all this free publicity when we are supposed to be isolating them? i paraphrase. there is that controversy. the games are finite, they last a couple of weeks. come mid—march, ifear the they last a couple of weeks. come mid—march, i fear the crisis will all break out again because the issues which have created a crisis around the peninsula for months and months now, the north's nuclear missile tests, and the us‘s reaction, the

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.dor tells the bbc his government wants oxfam to explain how it dealt with allegations of aid workers paying for sex. israel attacks dozens of syrian targets after one of its f—16 jets came under anti—aircraft fire and crashed. at least 18 people are dead and 60 injured as a double—decker bus overturns in hong kong. president trump has blocked the release of a classified democratic party memo over the fbi's russia probe. the memo rebutted claims there was anti—trump bias in the fbi's investigation of russian meddling in the us presidential election. the white house said the memo couldn't be released because it contained classified material. david willis explains more. it was announced last night president trump would not be issuing that memo. there were parts of it that memo. there were parts of it that could compromise national security basically and it was said that if they were able to take out that if they were able to take out that particular language and reissue it, then basically

laura bicker gave us this update from pyeonchang.nd other north korean delegates as very impressive, as sincere. he also went on to say that they provided a warm climate for further dialogue and further unification. now when it comes to that wish, he has already invited the south korean president, moonjae—in, to visit pyongyang. that is something that he will have to mull over and will have to decide what kind of conditions he will put on that visit. meanwhile, president moonjae—in has confirmed that the us is open to talks with north korea. that is a significant development and a significant diplomatic breakthrough for president moonjae—in, because there had been this wedge between the us and south korea. south korea wants to pursue a twin approach to north korea. it wants to pursue this approach of maximum pressure and sanctions but it also wants to engage with the north, to talk to them. at the start of mike pence‘s visit here during the winter olympics, it seemed that was not something the us was willing to do. it now seems that

she's been recounting her extraordinary story to our seoul correspondent, laura bicker.on: her mouth covered with adhesive tape... translationzlj her mouth covered with adhesive tape... translation: i was told that i was on the front line to unify korea, that i would be free in south korea, that i would be free in south korea like a revolutionary hero. i was full of pride and dignity. but i realised it was murder, given my own people, innocent, everyday people. —— killing. it was a japanese radio, a small radio, and that is where i put the detonator. next to it was a liquid explosives in a plastic bag which i placed on the shelf in the plane. in the north, we are told that the south is a colony of america, poor and corrupt, that the us is an aggressor. we are told they are the arch enemy and we cannot live under the same sky. ina in a blaze of publicity this morning, the south koreans paraded the woman they claimed was a north korean agent. she told officers she blew up the airline to disrupt the olympic games. do you think right now all of this is fake at do you think t

laura bicker reports from south korea. this is the confident side of south korea.he drama in pyongyang was political, and entering this arena was ivanka trump, but no warm reception for the north korean general sitting behind her. there was no contact between the two, but it does seem that pyongyang is ready to talk to the us, a victory for the south korean leader. it does seem to pyongyang is ready to talk to the us, a victory for the president. unlike the opening ceremony, the country's their own colours, highlighting the division, despite the diplomacy. critics fear the north have been given too much a platform at these games. the minister responsible for talks between the two koreas says pyongyang is being pushed on its nuclear weapons. we did convey the message to the north koreans, multiple times, that it's necessary that north korea and the us talk each other to solve this in a peaceful manner. but at the end of this olympic revelry, there could be a dose of reality. this show of harmony has given south korea some breathing space, but tension still lurks in

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.izzie greenwood hughes at the bbc sport centre. thanks very much. good evening. ireland are top of rugby union‘s 6 nations table after a big win over italy. but england‘s hopes of the grand slam are still alive — they won a tense and gritty match against wales 12—6 at twickenham. our correspondent joe wilson reports. if you come to twickenham, you want a good view. can you see them? wales arrived wearing tracksuits and headphones, blocking out the background noise. rhys patchell had his bottle questioned by england. we will get the cameras ready. two minutes played, high ball, patchell underneath it, didn‘t make it. the loose ball was in the hands of eoin farrell, who knew exactly where he was kicking it, right into the path ofjohnny may, who did the rest. commentator: jonny may is going to win the race! may‘s second try soon followed, but watch joe launchbury, two welsh players on top of him, still slipped the ball to his team—mate. inside pass, a second try forjonny may! so how could

laura bicker, bbc news, pyeongchang.conning victims out of thousands of pounds. hm revenue and customs says elderly and vulnerable people are being targeted, as our business correspondent, joe lynam, explains. they acquire the contact details, usually for elderly people, called them up saying that you have a huge tax bill outstanding and that if they do not pay it immediately, that they do not pay it immediately, that they will contact the police, the fraudsters say they will contact the police, or seize their personal assets. so they say, right, you can pay straightaway if you go down to your retailer, by these itunes vouchers with your own money, and call out the number, the 16 digit number, that you scratch off on the back of these cards, over the phone to ask. you will say, how does that work's well, that number can buy a lot of stuff. you can get an iphone, and also some songs. it has cash value. it can be swapped for cash. that's why the hic is acting to ask retailers to do something, watch out for elderly people c

unified ice hockey team won't perform as well as their previous team. 0ur seoul correspondent, laura bickerbetween the inter—korean hockey team and sweden is sold out. that gives you a level of interest in this game. it is a friendly, it is before the olympics, and here the crowd has arrived to cheer on this team. it has been controversial. when it was announced that 12 players from north korea would be coming to south korea to play with the hockey team there were a number of protests in seoul, south korea. critics believe that pyongyang is deploying its playbook and that the south korean government is giving too much away and is using this women's hockey team like a political pawn. however, now the sport is under way it does seem to be that this controversy is lessening slightly. the team are playing well together. you can see them bonding and cheering one another on. once the sport is underway that controversy seems to move to the side. the unification ministry has been keen to point out that the team has been bonding. they have been sending out these pictures of the team celebrating its

laura bicker now reports from pyeongyang on a games in which politics played as much of a role as theg action. this is the confidence side of south korea. but much of the drama was political. entering this arena is the us president's daughter ivanka trump. but no warm reception for the north korean generals sitting behind her. there was no contact between the two, but it does seem that pyongyang is now ready to talk to the us. a victory for the south korean leader, president moon. but make the opening ceremony athletes from the two koreas blew their own country's colours. highlighting the division, despite the diplomacy. critics fear the north has been given too much of a platform at these games. the minister responsible for talks between the two koreas says pyongyang is being pushed on its nuclear weapons. we did convey the message to the north koreans multiple times. it's necessary that north korea and the us are to leave a talk to each other to solve this ina a talk to each other to solve this in a peaceful manner. but at the end of this olympic reverie there could bea of this olym

she's been recounting her extraordinary story to our seoul correspondent laura bicker.ld that i was on the front line to unify korea, that i would be free in south korea like a revolutionary hero. i was full of pride and dignity. but i realised it was murder, killing my own people, innocent, everyday people. it was a japanese radio, a small radio, and that's where i put the detonator. next to it was the liquid explosive in a liquor bottle in a plastic bag which i placed on the shelf in the plane. in the north, we are told that the south is a colony of america, poor and corrupt, that the us is an aggressor. we are told they are the arch enemy and we cannot live under the same sky. news reel: in a blaze of publicity this morning, the south koreans paraded the woman they claimed was a north korean agent. kim hyon—hui apparently told intelligence officers she'd blown up the south korean airliner to disrupt the olympic games. do you think right now all of this is fake? do you think the run—up to the olympics, the overtures of peace coming from kim jong—un, do you think it is

laura bicker now reports from pyeongyang on a games in which politics played as much of a role as theporting action this is the confident side of south korea. it does seem to yong yang is ready to talk to the us, a vidic rory for the president. unlike the opening ceremony, the country's their own colours, highlighting the division, despite the diplomacy. critics think the north have been given too much a platform at these games. the minister responsible for talks between the two koreas says pyongyang is being pushed on its nuclear weapons. we did convey the message to the north koreans, multiple times that it's necessary that north korea and the us talk each other to solve this in a peaceful manner. but at the end of this olympic revelry, there could be a dose of reality. this show of harmony has given south korea some breathing space, but tension still lurks in the background. unfortunately it's not going to last. north koreans are entirely separating, and we've seen it from the first meeting, and the nuclear issue has nothing to do with the cooperation between the two koreas and in

but as our correspondent laura bicker reports, america has once again threatened new sanctions, unless nuclear ambitions. "all hail to the general!" they shout in numbers. tens of thousands of loyal soldiers display their adulation and they're rewarded with rare words from their leader. translation: at a time like this, when the us and its followers are making such a fuss around the korean peninsula, our military should remain on high alert and step up preparations for a fight. peeking from behind a pillar is kim jong—un‘s influential sister. she will be the first ever member of the kim dynasty to travel south and will represent the regime at the winter olympics. on display were missiles that kimjong—un claims can reach the us. it's bound to heighten tensions on the eve of a winter games that south korea had hoped would be known as the peace olympics. just a few hundred miles away in seoul, the us vice president is meeting the south korean leader with a message of his own. the us wants president moon to keep up the pressure on the north and has announced an increase in sanctions. earli

here's our seoul correspondent laura bicker with more... inter—korean hockey team play. it's caused a lot of controversy here in south korea. there was a feeling certainly among a lot of young people that the south korean government had jeopardised this women's hockey team's chances at its own olympics and they were using these players as a political pawn to try to encourage north korea to take part in talks to reduce its nuclear weapons programme. so there was certainly a feeling that the south korean government had not consulted on this, had not spoken to the women's hockey players before deciding onajoint team. we're told that the team would work on a roster, that everyone would get their shot. there are 12 members from north korea and the unification ministry has issued pictures of the two sides, north and south, getting to know one another and even celebrating a birthday in a bid to calm the controversy. i think many eyes will be on the game today to see how the two sides have managed to match up and play together over the last week. m

laura bicker is in pyeongchang. this is the confident side of south korea. modern, dynamic.general, more used to seeing military parades. even though he didn‘t talk to ivanka trump, it seems his country is ready to hold discussions with the us at some point, a victory for the south korean leader. unlike the opening ceremony, athletes from the two koreas flew their own country‘s colours, highlighting division despite diplomacy. critics fear that the north has been given too much of a platform at the games, but the minister responsible for talks between the two countries says pyongyang is being pushed on nuclear weapons. translation: we conveyed the message to north korea multiple times. it is necessary that north korea and the united states talk to each other to solve this peacefully. before the ceremony, dozens of protesters tried to stop the north korean general stopping the border to reach pyeongchang. he is thought to be responsible for deadly attacks on south koreans. it‘s a reminder that, after this olympic revelry, there could be a dose of reality. this show of harmony

our correspondent laura bicker is in pyeongchang, and assesses how successful they have been.outh korea. modern, dynamic, and edgy. in the stands, just one row behind the daughter of the us president, is a north korean general, more used to overseeing military parades and high—energy k—pop. it seems his country is ready to hold discussions with the us at some point. the victory for the south korean leader, president moon. unlike the opening ceremony, athletes from the two countries flew their own colours, highlighting the division despite the despondency. critics fear the north has been given too much of a platform at these games, but the minister responsible for talks between the two careers says pyongyang is being pushed on its weapons. translation: we did convey the message to the north koreans multiple times. it is necessary that north korea and yet it states talk to each other to solve this in a peaceful manner. before the ceremony, dozens of protesters try to stop the north korean general crossing the border to reach pyeongchang. he's not be responsible for deadly attack

here's our macro soul correspondent laura bicker with more.lic will get a chance to see the south korean inter— korean hockey team play. ‘s, that a lot of controversy here in south korea. there was a feeling certainly among a lot of young people that the south korean government had jeopardised this women's hockey team's chances at its own olympics and they were using these players as a political pawn to try to encourage north korea to take pa rt try to encourage north korea to take part in talks to reduce its nuclear weapons programme. so there was certainly a feeling that the south korean government had not consulted on this, had not spoken to the women's hockey players before deciding on a joint team. they were told that the team would work on a roster, that everyone would get their shot. there are 12 members from north korea and the unification ministry has issued pictures of the two sides, north and south, getting to know one another and even celebrating a birthday in a bid to calm the controversy. i think many eyes will be on the game tod

korean people has not changed and she's been telling her story to the bbc‘s seoul correspondent, laura bickerith adhesive tape. translation: i was told that i was on the front line to unify korea. that i would be freeing south korea, like a revolutionary hero. i was full of pride and dignity. but i realised it was murder, killing my own people. innocent, everyday people. it was a japanese radio, a small radio, and that's where i put the detonator. next to it was the liquid explosives in a liquor bottle, in a plastic bag, which i placed on a shelf in the plane. in the north, we are taught that the south is a colony of america. poor and corrupt. that the us is an aggressor. we are told they are the arch enemy, and we cannot live under the same sky. in a blaze of publicity this morning, the south koreans paraded the woman they claimed was a north korean agent. kim hyon—hui apparently told intelligence officers she'd blown up the south korean airliner to disrupt the olympic games. do you think right now all of this is fake? do you think the run—up to the olympics, the overtures of peace coming fr