Lee Jae-myung "Tokyo Olympics Non-Participation Should Be Considered... Individual Athlete Qualification Possible"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, once again stated that "it is time to consider not participating" in response to the territorial provocation of Dokdo by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee of Japan.

Last month, Governor Lee also expressed his position on Facebook that if the territorial notation of Dokdo is not removed, although it is regrettable for the athletes' four years of hard work, they should boycott the Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, on the 1st of last month, he sent a letter directly to Thomas Bach, IOC President, urging him to "actively mediate the removal of the Dokdo territorial notation."

In a recent interview with a media outlet, Governor Lee asserted, "Regarding the territorial provocation of Dokdo by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee of Japan, we should consider not participating in the Olympics."

He added, "(Even if we declare non-participation at the national level) athletes can participate individually rather than as a national team."

Regarding the reason for considering non-participation, Governor Lee criticized, "During the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) mediated so that Dokdo was not marked on the Korean Peninsula flag. We effectively control Dokdo, which is Korean territory under international law, but the IOC siding with Japan, which is making aggressive claims on Dokdo, and not demanding the deletion is very unfair."

He continued, "The IOC itself is violating political neutrality and showing bias, while Japan is infringing on the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea. Although it is regrettable, it is time to consider not participating in the Tokyo Olympics, and athletes who have prepared for the Olympics can participate individually rather than as a national team."

Earlier, on the 9th of last month, Governor Lee strongly condemned on Facebook, saying, "The Japanese government continues to be unresponsive," and "Despite protests from our government, letters from local governments, and condemnation from the National Assembly regarding the Dokdo notation on the Tokyo Olympic map, they remain indifferent."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "I hope for the improvement of Korea-Japan relations more than anyone else, but it will never be possible in this manner," and "Diplomacy is the result of constant interaction between sovereign states, so it is time for us to take clear actions appropriate to this obvious political provocation."

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

On the 1st of last month, Governor Lee sent a letter to Thomas Bach, IOC President, strongly criticizing, saying, "During the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, we recommended not using the Korean Peninsula flag with Dokdo depicted for 'political' reasons, so it was not used," and "Regarding the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC has not uttered a single word about Japan marking Dokdo, which we effectively control, as Japanese territory."

Meanwhile, the government has stated that if a Korea-Japan summit between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Suga is arranged, it may consider visiting Japan during the Tokyo Olympics. However, Japan is conducting a public opinion campaign and has not given a direct response.

Regarding this, more than half of the Korean public opposes President Moon's visit to Japan.

A public opinion poll conducted by Realmeter, a professional polling company, on the 25th of last month targeting 500 people nationwide aged 18 and over, showed that 60.2% responded that they oppose President Moon's visit to the Tokyo Olympics.

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