Lee Jae-myung "If Korea-Japan Relations Continue Like This, They Will Be Impossible Forever... We Must Boycott the Tokyo Olympics"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated that Japan has consistently remained unresponsive to the labeling of Dokdo as Japanese territory and argued that it is now time to actively consider boycotting the Tokyo Olympics.

On the 9th, in a Facebook post titled "Now is the time to 'consider' boycotting the Tokyo Olympics," Governor Lee sharply criticized, saying, "The Japanese government continues to be unresponsive," and added, "Despite our government's protests, letters from local governments, and condemnations from the National Assembly regarding the depiction of Dokdo on the Tokyo Olympic map, they have consistently ignored them."

He continued, "I hope for the improvement of Korea-Japan relations more than anyone else, but it will never be possible in this manner," emphasizing, "Diplomacy is the result of continuous interaction between sovereign nations, so it is time for us to take clear actions appropriate to this blatant political provocation."

In particular, he stated, "As President Roh Moo-hyun said, 'Dokdo is not just our land but a land deeply engraved with a history of suffering,'" and asserted, "The specter of imperialism that stained the world with blood in the past is never something we can compromise with."

Furthermore, he added, "As Japan’s unreasonable attitude continues, the demand from our people to 'consider a boycott' has become inevitable," and said, "It is not an issue to decide lightly, but the time has come for serious consideration."

He also said, "The public understands how profoundly a boycott would affect the athletes who have been preparing for the Olympics," and added, "Nevertheless, they recognize the severity of Japan’s misconduct to that extent."

Additionally, he urged, "Once again, I call for the IOC’s prompt response," criticizing, "During the (2018) PyeongChang Olympics, our government accepted the IOC’s recommendation following Japan’s protest and removed the depiction of Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula flag, but the IOC’s current inaction is not neutrality but a biased act siding with Japan’s political claims."

Therefore, Governor Lee urged, "IOC should now clearly see who is undermining the Olympic spirit and take action to ensure the Olympics promote peace."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.