South Korean President Moon Jae-In said yesterday he would be willing to sit down with the North's leader Kim Jong-Un, as the international community welcomed an agreement for Pyongyang to send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South.

The Games in Pyeongchang next month have long been overshadowed by geopolitical tensions, with the North launching missiles capable of reaching the US mainland in recent months and detonating by far its most powerful nuclear device to date.

The South Korean president also thanked US President Trump for his efforts yesterday, "I think President Trump's role in the realisation of inter-Korean talks was very big," he said. "I would like to express my gratitude."

Moon has long supported engagement with the North to bring it to the negotiating table over banned weapons programmes that have alarmed the US and the global community, and seen Pyongyang subjected to multiple sets of United Nations sanctions.