For the first time in two years, North and South Korea have agreed to talk to each other.

What prompted the sudden détente? The 2018 Winter Olympics next month.

To be sure, North Korea could be blackmailing the South: Let our team participate or we’ll disrupt your big event with a missile test – or worse. Or Kim Jong-un may simply be attempting to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

The optimistic view is that North Korea, having achieved its goal of perceived greater security by building a nuclear weapon, is now looking for a path to de-escalate tensions. Time may reveal what lies behind this move.

But here’s what we find intriguing: The Olympics provided sports-loving Mr. Kim the opportunity for this small break in his pattern of pugnaciousness.

A core Olympic ideal is to bring out the best in mankind: Courage, teamwork, determination, and commitment are on display in the arenas. The Olympic movement’s stated aim is “to contribute to building a peaceful and better world ... which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

If the fact of the event creates an opening for North-South dialogue, then at the very least the Olympics are living up to its ideals.

Now our selection of five stories that include paths to progress against crime, for better low-income graduation rates, and for less food waste.