Winter Olympics 2018: Olympics committee member says unified Korean hockey team should win Nobel peace prize

A member of the Olympic Committee has said the unified Korean hockey team should win the Nobel peace prize (Woohae Cho/Getty Images)

An American member of the Olympic Committee has said she thinks the unified Korean hockey team should win the Nobel peace prize.

“I would love the team to get the Nobel Peace Prize,” Angela Ruggerio said to Reuters.

“As someone who competed in four Olympics and knows it isn’t about you, your team, or your country, I saw the power of what it did last night,” the former gold medal-winning hockey player said.

Ms Ruggerio said getting nominated for the peace prize would be about “recognising the sacrifice they made to adjusting their competitions.”

North and South Korean athletes marched in the Winter Olympics opening ceremony under a unified flag as Kim Yo Hong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, was the first member of the dynasty to set foot in South Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953.

Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington continue to increase as North Korea has steadily been developing its nuclear weapons programme despite several rounds of strict sanctions on oil, textiles, and seafood products from the UN and the US.

The pair have publicly traded insults with him, giving him the nickname "Rocket Man" and referring to him as such during the president's speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly.

He adding that the North Korean leader was “on a suicide mission” in continuing to develop a nuclear weapons programme.

Mr Kim’s state news agency then issued a statement in which they referred to Mr Trump as a “dotard."

In an effort to limit the fiery rhetoric of both leaders, the US and South Korea agreed to suspend military exercises in the region for the duration of the Olympics.

Seoul also announced that it would begin direct talks with Pyongyang.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in ran his presidential campaign last year with the promise and goal of a "sunshine policy" towards North Korea; more open economic relations and direct negotiating to achieve peace.