BEVERLY HILLS, April 06, (THEWILL) –Â The East Asian country of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has decided to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics and therefore will not join other countries at the Games this year.
While making this public on Tuesday, the government cited concerns about the coronavirus pandemic as the basis for this decision, according to the country’s sports ministry.
This comes exactly 33 years after North Korea boycotted the 1988 Summer Games hosted by Seoul in the Cold War era. And, it will have similar implications especially for the relations between the two Koreas which have grown cold after a brief thawing from the previous Olympics.
In 2018, after a year of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to weapons testing by the North, the two reached a landmark agreement under which Pyongyang sent a team to the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea and fielded a joint ice hockey team. The two nations also agreed to march together under one flag during the opening ceremony.
That is why one immediate consequence of the decision of the North to pull out is that it ends South Korea’s hopes that the Games could be a catalyst to revive stalled peace talks which they were looking forward to in the atmosphere of camaraderie and sportsmanship that an Olympic event provides.
With the two Koreas still technically at war after their 1950-1953 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, the South Korean President Moon Jae-in had overtly hoped both countries could, one again field a combined team in Tokyo and rebuild momentum for improved relations from that act of solidarity and oneness.
Another big setback of the withdrawal of the North is that it throws a wrench in the agreed plans from a 2018 summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for pursuing a joint Korean bid to host the Olympics in 2032. At that Pyeongchang Winter Olympics of 2018, Kim sent his sister to head the country’s delegation, and this act of sporting embrace was welcomed in the South as a step towards peaceful relations between the Koreas.
However, most of the goodwill generated by those actions have been desecrated with the rise of tensions on the Korean Peninsula especially as recently as last month when the North resumed missile tests. Although both sides agreed to continue dialoguing after the launches, the tense atmosphere created by actions like those are not helpful.
In an official statement from the South Korea’s Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, the intention of setting an amicable environment for good relations with the North was obvious when Seoul said they had hoped the Tokyo Olympics would be a chance to “foster peace and reconciliation between the two Koreas. We regret it could not happen,” part of the statement read.
Organisers of the Games in Tokyo noted their awareness of news reports on North Korea’s move and confirmed that they were prepared to work with other countries still involved for the success of the Games despite North Korea’s absence. A statement to that effect pointed out clearly that: “We will continue to prepare the best possible stage to welcome athletes from all countries and regions.”
The decision of the North to withdraw from the Games in Tokyo was part of a decision reached at a meeting of its Olympic committee and Sports Minister Kim Il Guk on March 25, according to the information available from the website of the North Korean ministry.
The statement pointed squarely at the basis for not sending athletes to Japan: “The committee decided not to join the 32nd Olympics Games to protect athletes from the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus.”
THEWILL recalls that, officially, there have been no coronavirus cases in North Korea. And, although they encourage sports and sporting activities in North Korea, there have been concerns that going into a country still reporting infections will not serve the interests of North Korea.
On Monday, Tokyo registered 249 new infections, which remains well below the January peak of over 2,500. In Osaka, the tally was 341, down from a record 666 cases on Saturday. In all, Japan has confirmed a total of about 490,000 infections since the start of the pandemic, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The death toll stands at 9,227 in total.
North Korea, however, have not stopped domestic promotion of sports as the same March 25 meeting that decided on withdrawing from Tokyo also discussed ways to develop professional sports technologies, earn more medals at international competitions and expand public sports activities over the next five years, according to the official handout of the statement from the Ministry.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
