North Korea WARNING: Don’t believe Kim! Olympics talk ‘just charm offensive’ warns Japan

and this morning met for talks regarding next month’s games, which takes place in Pyeongchang. 

The two warring nations met in the peace village of Panmunjom, located in the demilitarised zone separating the rowing states. 

But despite conciliatory comments from North Korea, who wish to send a small team of athletes and a “cheer squad” across the border for the games, Japan has today issued a warning. 

They said the talks amounted to a “charm offensive” aimed simply at reducing sanctions on North Korea. 

Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono said the world should not be naive and must continue its harsh treatment of Pyongyang. 

He said: “It is not the time to ease pressure, or to reward North Korea.

“The fact that North Korea is engaging in dialogue could be interpreted as proof that the sanctions are working.”

North Korea will also send a 230-strong cheering squad to the Winter Olympics in the South next month, Seoul said this morning after both sides held talks.

And officials from North and South agreed a 140-person North Korean orchestra would perform in South Korea during the Games.

North and South Korea have been talking since last week, for the first time in more than two years, about the Olympics, offering a respite from a months-long standoff over the North’s missile and nuclear programmes.

It comes after 20 nations met in the Canadian city of Vancouver yesterday to consider tougher sanctions on North Korea.

The South’s Unification Ministry said the two sides exchanged opinions on several issues, including the size of the North Korean athletics team and joint cultural events.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in told players at a training camp: “I don’t know if it will happen but a joint team will be a good opportunity for ice hockey to shed its sorrow as a less-preferred sport as many Koreans will take interest.”

The number of petitions to the presidential Blue House’s website opposing a unified team climbed to more than 100 this week, with the most popular petition gaining more than 11,000 votes.

Paik Hak-soon, the director of the Centre for North Korean studies at Sejong Institute in South Korea, said North Korea was using the cheering squad to draw attention to its apparent cooperative spirit.

Paik said: “Seeing good results in competitions thanks to the cheering squad would enable the North Koreans to say they contributed to a successful Olympics and the South Korean government would likely agree.”

“In the end, they are using this old tactic to get to Washington through Seoul.”