By Kim Bo-eun

Skiers from the two Koreas began a two-day joint training at the North's Masikryong Ski Resort ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Wednesday, amid lingering concerns about Pyongyang's cancellation of an inter-Korean event at Mount Geumgang two days earlier.

The departure of South Korean skiers had remained undecided until the early hours of Wednesday, as South Korea and the U.S. fine-tuned means to prevent a possible breach of sanctions placed on the North.

The Ministry of Unification said that a chartered plane departed from the South for an airfield near Masikryong.

Although the two-day training to be held through today has managed to take place, it is viewed by some as merely a means for Pyongyang to promote its ski resort, which is regarded as one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's key vanity projects.

The training is also seen as a way for the Koreas to appear as if they are taking steps to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula, at a time of growing ambiguity after the North unilaterally canceled the Mount Geumgang cultural event. Pyongyang called off the plan, citing South Korean media reports on its military parade to be held a day before the Olympics kicks off, Feb. 9, which raised skepticism over the North's sincerity in making progress in achieving inter-Korean peace.

The joint-training, proposed by the South, bears less significance because the South Korean skiers are not part of the national team. North Korean skiers taking part in the training include members of the national team that will participate in the Olympics.

The 45-member delegation departed from Yangyang airport in the South at around 10:40 a.m. and landed at Kalma International Airport in the city of Wonsan on North Korea's east coast at around 11:53 a.m., taking a West Sea route. The delegation from the South, comprised of 31 Alpine and cross country skiers as well as assistants and reporters, traveled straight to Masikyrong by bus.

They will train in Alpine and cross country today, two events the North will compete in at the Games.

After completing training they will depart Masikryong at around 1 p.m. and take a chartered plane back to the South at around 4 p.m. today.

The plane will also bring a 32-member North Korean delegation including 10 athletes here. The latter, three Alpine and three cross country skiers, two figure and two short track skaters, will head to national training centers in Pyeongchang and Gangneung once they arrive.

Last week, 12 North Korean women's ice hockey players arrived in the South. The newly arriving athletes and the ice hockey players constitute the 22 North Korean athletes competing in the Olympics.

Using a chartered plane had brought up issues of breaching sanctions placed on Pyongyang by Washington in September last year.

According to the sanctions, an aircraft that has departed from North Korea cannot land in the U.S. within a 180-day period.

While there seems to be no problem as long as the chartered plane does not fly to the U.S. within the stated time frame, there have been concerns that the carrier, as well as Seoul-Washington ties could be affected by employing the charted flight amid sanctions.

"There were concerns raised by the U.S. as well as the carrier (with regards to the sanctions)," unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said in a briefing.

"Talks were concluded so that the plane was exempted from breaching sanctions," he said.

Regarding the North's cancellation of the joint cultural event at Mount Geumgang, South Korea's unification ministry sent a notice, Tuesday, expressing a mild form of regret. It emphasized that the remaining agreements be followed through with. Upcoming events are a performance by a 140-member North Korean orchestra in Gangneung, Feb. 8, and Seoul, Feb. 11.

Meanwhile, the North is set to hold its military parade on its national holiday honoring the foundation of its armed forces, Feb. 8