North Korean International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Chang Ung had proposed that his nation could share some of the skiing competitions with its South Korean neighbours during the Games in five years' time, while the country's Government had said it was "willing" to offer the Masik Pass ski resort for the event.

"It would be very significant for North and South to cooperate on co-hosting the Winter Olympics," North Korean Minister of Physical Culture and Sport Won Kil-u claimed.

However, Pyeongchang 2018 dismissed the idea of hosting events on both sides of the border, saying it would not be legally or logistically feasible and would in fact be a breach of the Olympic Charter - the IOC only allows the splitting of events across two cities in special cases.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the construction site of the Masik Pass ski resort last month


"Co-hosting goes against International Olympic Committee regulations which stipulate that, unlike the World Cup, all the Olympic events be held within the host city," insisted a statement from the Organising Committee today.

"We should make sure technology and administrative works are in optimal condition in order to host an event- and athlete-oriented Olympic Games.

"Holding some of the events in the Masik resort, more than 300 kilometres away from Pyeongchang, cannot guarantee meeting this goal."

Pyeongchang 2018 went on to highlight that IOC President Jacques Rogge had previously voiced reservations about holding Olympic events north of the border.

Although Rogge agreed that the IOC would consider allowing the two nations to march together at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, he said that spreading venues between the two countries "is something we do not consider under the current Olympic Charter".

The two Koreas only resumed sports exchanges in recent weeks after years of political tension, which was inflamed earlier this year by the threat of a nuclear attack from the North.

The nations are currently in talks over plans to send a historic unified Korean team to the 2015 Summer Universiade, which is being hosted by the South Korean city of Gwangju.

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