Government rejects criticism that next month’s Winter Olympics has been hijacked by North Korea, saying Games will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs
The South Korean government rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month’s Winter Olympics had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the Games will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.
Some opposition politicians and conservatives in South Korea have criticized North Korea’s participation in the Games to be held in the South Korean alpine resort of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the „Pyongyang Olympics.“
„Just one month ago, acute tensions gripped the Korean peninsula, South Korean presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a news conference, referring to a crisis over North Korea’s efforts to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States.
„We’re confident that the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world,“ he said.
The two Koreas held the their first formal talks in nearly two years this month and the South agreed to help arrange for the North to join the Games.
Some specific plans, including for a joint women’s ice hockey team and marching under a united flag, have proven controversial, with conservatives and younger South Koreans upset that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is stealing the spotlight.
The administration of South Korea’s liberal president, Moon Jae-in, is also under pressure over its offer to send athletes to a North Korean ski resort for joint training. Experts say the move risks giving Kim’s heavily sanctioned government legitimacy and some much-needed cash.
Seoul officials are on a three-day trip to the North starting on Tuesday to inspect the resort’s facilities and the newly built Kalma Airport nearby that may be used to fly in the South Korean skiers, who are not expected to attend the Games.
