North Korea's Delegation Willing To Talk To U.S.; Olympic Competition Wraps Up; Second Gold Medal For Olympic Athletes of Russia
PAUL: This just coming in to CNN. North Korea's delegation says apparently that it's willing take to you to the United States. CNN international correspondent Will Ripley in Pyeongchang, South Korea for us right now. What are you hearing? This is a change.</s>WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christi. Yes. We just received a statement minutes ago from the South Korean Blue House. They met just before the closing ceremonies taking place at the Olympic Stadium. Actually it seems like they just wrapped up 35,000 people there. But the meetings that happened beforehand a potential significant development. The North Korean delegation expressing willingness for a dialogue with the United States and also acknowledging that in order for relations between South Korea and North Korea to improve that they also need to improve their relationship with the United States. This is a pretty dramatic shift for North Korea's tone even in their state media just within the past few hours. Today they put out an article threatening the United States with grave consequences over the new round of sanctions, the heaviest sanctions ever imposed by the Trump administration calling those sanctions tantamount to an act of war. But apparently the North Koreans who are on the ground here are now acknowledging that talks with the United States will be crucial if they are going to actually move forward with their goal of easing tensions on the Korean peninsula. And obviously there are a lot of major issues that divide the United States and South Korea, and North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un, the biggest one of all North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea has repeatedly and consistently said that they will not give up their nuclear weapons despite sanctions or diplomatic or even military pressure. However, they are at least saying for the time being now that they are willing to have discussions. We also saw the first images coming out of the opening ceremonies. Ivanka Trump was in the VIP box as expected with the North Korean delegation led by North Korea's former spy master Kim Yong-chol. He was just one row and a few seats behind her to her left. There was no visible interaction between the two. We don't know if there was any behind the scenes interaction between the U.S. delegation and the North Korean delegation although we do know that the North Koreans did send one official who is in charge of their department and north American affairs and indicating at least a willingness, if there was some sort of a meeting, that perhaps they could have a brief chat, see where things go from there. So obviously, things can change very quickly, Christi, but that is the latest on the ground here in Pyeongchang as the Olympics are now officially over and the Paralympics set to kick off very soon.</s>PAUL: All right. Will Ripley, so glad you are there to walk us through it all. Thank you.</s>BLACKWELL: All right. Before we begin the Paralympics or they begin it, the final events of the Winter Olympics are wrapping up and the Olympic athletes of Russia got a lot of attention as they battled Germany in the gold medal match in ice hockey.</s>PAUL: Yes. Amanda Davies has more for us from South Korea. Good morning, Amanda.</s>AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, Christi. Yes. The men's hockey final was always going to have to go to</s>BLACKWELL: All right. Amanda Davies, thanks so much.</s>PAUL: All right. You know John Kirby on our air? You know somebody that we go to to get really great perspective and information on many things, but he is really opening up next with us here with his daughter, sharing the story of survival of her anorexia. A pretty brave conversation coming up. Stay close.