Pyeongchang 2018 President Lee Hee-beom spoke of feeling "very proud" that progress is being made in talks between North and South Korea following last month's Winter Olympic Games.

Sat alongside him, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) counterpart Andrew Parsons stressed the significance of North Korea’s participation at the Winter Paralympics and how it sends out a strong message of peace through sport.

Fast forward to yesterday evening, though, and everything had gone rather flat.

"Disappointed" was the word now being used by Parsons as he reflected on the announcement that the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of North and South Korea would march separately at the Opening Ceremony following a dispute over the unification flag to be carried.

The North said that it wanted the flag to show Dokdo, the island grouping at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between South Korea and Japan, while the South apparently wanted to have the Korean unification flag without it, so as not to politicise the event.

Ultimately, the IPC decided that it did not want any further debate on the matter and suggested the two Koreas march individually. 

North Korea, whose flag was carried by Nordic skier Kim Jong-hyon, still drew loud cheers from the South Korean-dominated audience here this evening. 

As one would expect, though, the decibels went up a considerable number of notches for the host nation as they were led out by cross-country skier and biathlete Sin Eui Hyun.

One symbol of peace did come in the final Torch Relay with Nordic skiers from the two Koreas - the South's Choi Bogue and the North's Ma Yu Chol - carrying the Paralympic flame together into the venue.

The IPC, however, had wanted more than that at its flagship event and will no doubt see this as a missed opportunity.

In his Opening Ceremony speech, President Lee talked about how Pyeongchang 2018 will "shed a 'light of hope' on the future of all people across the world, yearning for peace beyond the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia".

The dispute over the unification flag shows that "hope" is very much the key word, highlighting the delicacy of the situation surrounding inter-Korean relations and just how quickly things can change.

There had been an apparent establishment of reconciliation during last month’s Winter Olympic Games.

The two nations marched together under the unification flag, and, for the first time in the history of the Games, competed together as part of a unified Korean women's ice hockey team.

Further moves saw a squad of North Korean cheerleaders deployed and, arguably most significantly of all, a high-level North Korean delegation that included Kim Yo-jong - the sister of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un - attend the Olympics.

The charm offensive was hailed by some as a breakthrough with the Olympics being credited for the holding of a rare meeting on Monday (March 5) between South Korean officials and Kim Jong-un in North Korean capital Pyongyang.

Among the subjects said to have been raised was North Korea’s willingness to talk about getting rid of its nuclear weapons on the basis that its own safety can be guaranteed.

The two nations later agreed for Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to meet next month at a summit in the truce village of Panmunjom, where discussions are expected to be held on how to reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula.

All very positive signs, but not everyone is convinced by North Korea’s commitment to denuclearise.

In a recent meeting with Moon at the Blue House in Seoul, Liberty Korea Party leader Hong Joon-pyo and Bareun Mirae Party counterpart Yoo Seong-min argued that recent progress in inter-Korean dialogue might be used to "buy time" for North Korea’s nuclear development.

"The part about [Kim Jong-un’s] willingness to denuclearise is something they’ve said over and over as a 'teaching', but it has all been lies," Hong was reported as saying by South Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh.

"The important things are action and the North’s sincerity."

Also highly sceptical about North Korea's intentions in recent times has been the United States, but after months of threats and violence there seems, and I stress the word seems, to be a major breakthrough after American President Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim to meet him by May at the latest.

Senior South Korean officials in Washington, who passed on a letter from Kim, claimed the North Korean leader had agreed to halt nuclear and missile tests and was "committed to denuclearisation".

Trump appears optimistic, but there was certainly still an air of caution about his tweet today.

"Kim Jong-un talked about denuclearisation with the South Korean representatives, not just a freeze," he wrote.

"Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time.

"Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached.

"Meeting being planned!"

It all begs the question, how much has the Winter Olympics and Paralympics here actually achieved in terms of inter-Korean relations?

Dubbed the "Peace Games", they have certainly done no harm, but it still remains to be seen how much good they will ultimately do.

Although North Korea has said it is committed to abandoning its nuclear weapons, the country has not yet said it will for definite and there lies a huge difference.

There will no doubt be several more twists and turns in the coming weeks, months and years, but as things currently stand, it is just as difficult as ever to predict whether lasting peace can be achieved.

The IPC's main hope now is that the focus can be on the performances of athletes on the field of play at the Paralympics, not the politics off it.

Time will tell if that turns out to be the case.

Let the Games begin!