Moon urges support for N . Korea ' s participation in Olympics SEOUL , Jan . 22 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean President Moon Jae - in on Monday urged public support for North Korea ' s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games , calling it a rare chance to restart international talks on ending North Korea ' s nuclear ambitions . " Right now , we are facing a very precious opportunity to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula . It is entirely due to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games that allowed the South and the North to sit face to face . Such dialogue came dramatically while the possibility of war again loomed , " the president said in a weekly meeting with his top secretaries held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae . " But the current condition is so fragile that no one can be optimistic about how long the dialogue will last , " he added . The president insisted the North ' s participation in the Winter Olympic Games itself will help ensure the success of the quadrennial event , slated to be held from Feb . 9 - 25 . " However , if it ends just at that , we will have no way of knowing how difficult the problems we may face in our foreign and security relations in the future , and creating another opportunity for dialogue will not be easy , " the president said . " We need wisdom and efforts to continue the miraculously earned opportunity for dialogue even after the end of PyeongChang ( Olympics ) . " The remarks come amid growing public criticism over an agreement between the divided Koreas to form a unified women ' s hockey team for the upcoming event . The South Korean public , as well as some hockey players , reacted with anger that the decision may take away the chance for many South Korean hockey players to play in the event that only comes around every four years . Moon asked the people to support the decision in that it helped resume dialogue between the two Koreas , and that it may also help lead to a resumption of denuclearization talks . " I ask the people to show their support in maintaining and expanding the dialogue as they will protect a candle in the wind , which we may not be able to create such an opportunity again , " he said . " I also ask the political circle and the media to lend their support at least for the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Olympics . " bdk @ yna . co . kr ( END )