South Korea's foreign minister expressed hopes Monday that the North's expected participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will catalyze inter-Korean reconciliation and the resolution of the nuclear standoff.

"The government is looking beyond North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics to consider ways to improve inter-Korean relations and seek close collaboration with the international community to bring about North Korea's denuclearization," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said during the launch of a foreign ministry task force in charge of foreign state leaders' visits to the Olympics.

"If North Korea joins the PyeongChang Olympics, it would strengthen the profile of the event as a peace Olympics," she noted.

"Seoul has been mustering every effort to make the PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympics a festival and international sports event for peace," Kang said, referring to North Korea's interest in joining the Olympics hosted by the South.