South Korean President Moon Jae In announced Saturday that he is aiming for South Korea and North Korea to form a joint team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and march together in the event's opening ceremony.

In a speech at an event hosted by the World Taekwondo Federation in Muju south of Seoul, Moon said he is seeking the cooperation of the International Olympic Committee and North Korea.

"North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics will greatly contribute to the Olympic values of friendship and world peace," he said.

"I would like the North Korean cheering team to join us as a turning point for inter-Korean reconciliation," the president added.

Moon, the South's new liberal president, has advocated engagement with North Korea despite tensions remaining high over its nuclear arms and missile programs.

The North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation has sent a demonstration team to the World Taekwondo Championships in Muju. The team includes Chang Ung, the sole North Korean member on the International Olympic Committee.

IOC President Thomas Bach is scheduled to visit Muju on Friday next week and to hold talks with Moon in Seoul on July 3.

South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong Hwan said this week that North Korea's "top-class" Masikryong Ski Resort could be a potential venue for the events at the time of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Games.

South Korea and North Korea are still technically in a state of war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.