(CNN) —
Diplomacy and sporting endeavor mixed awkwardly at the spectacular opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, as sworn adversaries sat feet apart while North Korea received a welcome that would have been unthinkable just months ago.
In a ceremony infused with themes of peace and harmony, South Korean President Moon Jae-in twice shook hands with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. US Vice President Mike Pence, sitting a few seats away in the same VIP booth, looked stony faced as the extraordinary scenes unfolded.
The unprecedented encounter between the two senior Koreans fueled hopes that the Olympics could succeed where a generation of world leaders has failed – to lay the groundwork, however tentatively, to a process of reconciliation on a peninsula that often appears one wrong move away from nuclear conflict.
Minutes into the ceremony, as children skipped through a mythical landscape, Moon greeted Kim Yo Jong and North Korea’s 90-year-old ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam, the head of the North’s Olympic delegation.
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Kim Yo-Jong applauds during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Kim Yo Jong, the first member of the North’s ruling dynasty to visit the south since the end of the Korean War in 1953, smiled broadly as they shook hands.
Then, the two figures from opposite sides of a divided Korea watched as athletes from their respective nations marched together under a unified flag.
A giant dove lit up the sky, famous South Korean singers sang John Lennon’s Imagine and, most significantly of all, athletes from North and South Korea walked in together for the first time in 11 years.
The message was not subtle. Drawing on themes of harmony and unity, the ceremony gave Koreans hope – whether or not it lasts – that their nations, still technically at war, may one day find peace.
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The South Korean flag "Taegeukgi" is seen during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang.
The ceremony involved a starring role for the Games’ mascot Soohorang, the white tiger, long been considered a protective guardian in Korean history and culture.
In an elaborate finale, pre-taped for the TV broadcast to ensure nothing went wrong, more than 1,200 choreographed drones formed the Olympic rings in the sky.
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Soohrang, the white tiger, played a starring role in the opening ceremony.
Pence, who has been vocal in his criticism of North Korea in the runup to the Games, sat impassive in the frigid February night, rising only when the US team entered the stadium.
The US and North Korean representatives did not speak during the ceremony, and Pence did not attend an earlier dinner where he was due to share a table with North Korea’s ceremonial head of state.
Moon, however, welcomed Kim enthusiastically, greeting her warmly when she entered the VIP box and then shaking her hand again when North and South Korean athletes entered the stadium together.
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US Vice President Mike Pence (front R), his wife Karen (front C), North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong (2nd L) and Kim Jung-Sook (L), the wife of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, attend the opening ceremony.
The presence of Kim, who was promoted to the country’s Politburo, the senior body of North Korea’s communist party, as an alternate member last year, represents a hugely significant move in the thawing of relations between the neighbors.
According to diplomatic sources, there is a “good chance” Kim will invite Moon to visit Pyongyang “sometime this year.”
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Fireworks explode during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018.
While the sources say “nothing is final,” a visit by Moon to North Korea would be the first time a South Korean President has stepped foot in the country since 2007.
That invitation could come when Moon and Kim will meet for lunch at the Blue House on Saturday, after the meeting was confirmed by a South Korean presidential spokesperson.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Fireworks erupt as the Olympic cauldron is lit in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday, February 9.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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North and South Korean athletes march together during the parade of nations. It has happened only three other times in Olympic history.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Former figure skater Kim Yuna lights the Olympic cauldron. The South Korean won gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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The torchbearers included former South Korean soccer star Ahn Jung-hwan and golfer Inbee Park.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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The opening ceremony included many dazzling displays and performances.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, speaks before the lighting of the cauldron.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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The ceremony was held at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, a temporary structure with capacity for 35,000 spectators.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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US Vice President Mike Pence, front right, attends the ceremony with his wife, Karen. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is seated in the back row and on the left. She was a guest of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, not pictured. At left is Moon's wife, Kim Jung-sook.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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US athletes arrive at the opening ceremony.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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American athletes wave during the march of nations.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Olympic athletes from Russia march under a neutral flag. Russia was banned from taking part in the Games after the International Olympic Committee found that the country had engaged in "systemic manipulation" of anti-doping rules.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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France's athletes take part in the parade of nations.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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A Korean quartet led by Jeon In-kwon sings John Lennon's classic "Imagine" before an inflatable dove is released into the air.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Fireworks explode over the stadium.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Tongan flag bearer Pita Taufatofua goes shirtless, as he did for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the ceremony.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Participants perform around a design of the Olympic rings.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Dutch athletes enter the stadium.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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Drummers are lined up during the performance.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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The South Korean flag is portrayed.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony
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A dragon is carried into the stadium.
Photos: 2018 Winter Olympics: The opening ceremony