(ATR) Leaders of PyeongChang's Winter Olympic bid say nothing could be better than a snowfall to herald the arrival of the IOC Evaluation Commission Tuesday night. On the scene coverage inside...

A steady snow fell through through the night in PyeongChang. (ATR)

(ATR) Leaders of PyeongChang's Winter Olympic bid say nothing could be better than a snowfall to herald the arrival of the IOC Evaluation Commission Tuesday night.

Auspicious snow, declared Rocky Yoon, secretary general for international relations. He and the rest of the PyeongChang leadership team had just escorted the IOC team to the Yong Pyeong resort from a welcome ceremony where wet snow fell on a cheering crowd of 1,000.

Besides snow, PyeongChang bid leaders had reason to be pleased with big news for the Korean peninsula: North Koreas agreement Tuesday to end its nuclear program.

The IOC commission begins work Wednesday morning at a ballroom set up for the four-day meeting. Behind closed doors, the IOC commission will hear from PyeongChang on 12 of the 17 themes in the bid book; the remaining points will be covered Friday.

The group will head out of doors Thursday to see the proposed sites for the ski and sliding events, the Olympic Village and the media center. Sunny weather is forecast, with temperatures around the 0c mark.

The IOC panel is made up of 12 members named by the IOC President and four members of the IOC staff. The chair is Chiharu Igaya, IOC member from Japan and an alpine ski silver medalist at the 1956 Games.

The commission hunkered down in Seoul for the past two days, allowing members to meet as a group for the first time and organize their work for the next month.

After

PyeongChang sign at Incheon airport, part of hundreds of signs and banners that stretch all the way to PyeongChang. (ATR)

PyeongChang, the commission heads to Sochi next week and Salzburg in March.

The early arrival in Korea also allowed the team to shake off jet lag, perhaps preventing nod-offs during a long afternoon of presentations or riding the venue tour bus.

A police escort helped the IOC make its way to PyeongChang from Seoul Tuesday evening in less than three hours, excellent time given the conditions.

But for this reporter traveling by car from Incheon airport, the jourrney took nearly four hours, the longest-ever in three trips to PyeongChang. Rush hour traffic near Seoul and the wet weather were aggravating factors.

The difficult connection between Incheon and PyeongCHang remains one of the bids weak points, comparing unfavorably with what Sochi and Salzburg offer for airport transfers.

The Korean bid envisions a new rail service from Seoul to the mountains as well as improved roadways, although a divided expressway already provides the quality of an Austrian autobahn.

A major change to PyeongChangs bid unveiled last year lopped off some distant venues from the city and produced a more compact plan that will make it easy for the IOC to see all of the proposed venues as one group.

The IOC Evaluation Commission will wrap up its visit with a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 17.

On the Scene in PyeongChang, for subscribers only at www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.