By Jeon Han and Yoon Sojung

Tolls at eight toll gates in Gangwon-do Province will be waived during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. These selected toll gates are all near the host venues for the upcoming winter Olympics.

During the same period, passengers on the high-speed KTX Gyeonggang Line, which connects Seoul and Gangneung, will also receive discounts.

These are some of the results agreed upon at the first high-ranking consultation among officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the government and the ruling party that took place in Seoul on Jan. 29. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, Chief of staff for Policy Chang Ha-sung, and Party Representative Choo Mi Ae and Floor Leader Woo Wonshik from the Democratic Party of Korea.

The participants reviewed ongoing preparations for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at the overall level and agreed that flawless preparations have been made for the upcoming Games in the most successful manner ever. They vowed to do their utmost to ensure flawless preparation and perfect management of the Games.

Meeting participants also agreed that the upcoming PyeongChang Games would contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula and around the world, while sharing the belief that it would become a true “Peace Olympics,” both in name and in reality.

Finally, in order to make it more convenient to come to the Games for overseas tourists, they also decided to review a possible visa waiver program for Mainland Chinese tourists who satisfy certain conditions, and to offer a temporary visa waiver to tourists travelling in tour groups from certain Southeast Asian countries.

hanjeon@korea.kr