Beijing Winter Olympics Athletes’ Village. Winter Olympics Organizing Committee website
The North Korean Ministry of Sports has officially announced that it will not participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will start on the 4th of next month. The North Korean Central News Agency reported on the 7th that the North Korean Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports had sent a letter to the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee, and the General Administration of Sports of China to inform them of this.
As North Korea officially announced its absence from the Beijing Winter Olympics, the possibility of sending a government delegation to coincide with the opening ceremony of the Olympics has become even slimmer. In addition, the South Korean government’s plan to restart the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, such as the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue with the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity, practically failed.
In a letter, North Korea said, “Although it was impossible to participate in the Games due to the maneuvers of hostile forces and the global convective epidemic situation, we will fully support and support all the projects of our Chinese comrades to prepare a grand and wonderful Olympic festival,” the North Korean official said. said North Korea continued, “We will make every effort to contribute to the strengthening and development of the traditional DPRK-China friendship by further strengthening friendly exchanges and cooperation with Chinese sports organizations and athletes.” “The fraternal Chinese people and athletes expressed confidence that they will unite around Comrade Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China to overcome all obstacles and obstacles and successfully host the Beijing Winter Olympic Games,” he said. did.
North Korea is unable to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposed a disciplinary action suspending the qualifications of the North Korean Olympic Committee (NOC) until the end of this year for failing to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the path was open for North Korean players to participate as individuals. North Korea’s decision is an official statement that it will not participate in such individual qualifications.
North Korea sent a letter to China announcing its non-participation in the Beijing Olympics on the day of its hypersonic missile test. North Korea explained that the reason for not attending the Olympics was due to inevitable circumstances such as “the maneuver of hostile forces” and “the convective epidemic situation” (Corona 19). It seems to have been conscious of the fact that it launched a missile and made the Chinese side nervous.
Deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, Cha Duk-cheol, said at a regular briefing on the same day, “I will not make any predicaments” regarding the timing and intentions of North Korea’s letter delivery.
.