The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend the opening ceremony of this year's Winter Olympics in neighbouring South Korea.

Kim Yo-jong will become the first member of Kim's immediate family to cross the boarder when she travels to the event in Pyeongchang, reports The Guardian.

A unified team of South Korean and North Korean athletes will compete at the Winter Olympics, and a large delegation from the latter country recently crossed the border to spur the teams on at the Games.

The group, which was mostly made up of a 229-member cheer squad, is the largest group of North Koreans to have crossed over to the South during peacetime.

Kim Yo-jong's presence at the games could cause tension between South Korean and the US, who have accused the North Koreans of using the games for "propaganda" purposes.

The US treasury department has blacklisted her over alleged human rights abuses and censorship, and she is subject to a travel ban under UN security council sanctions.

The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony gets underway on Friday.