"Not Attending Neighbor's Feast Is Unreasonable"… Taeyoungho Urges President Moon to Attend Olympics

Tae Young-ho, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, urged President Moon Jae-in to attend the Tokyo Olympics, saying, "Not going to the neighbor's party is more unreasonable."

On the 18th, Tae posted on his Facebook, "I sincerely hope President Moon Jae-in approaches the issue of attending the Tokyo Olympics with common sense," asserting this point.

Tae said, "It is necessary to consider the feelings of our athletes who would be disappointed not to see President Moon at the Olympic opening ceremony," and pointed out, "North Korea would be pleased, believing that Kim Il-sung's 'Gatkkeun strategy' is working if President Moon does not attend the Tokyo Olympics." The Gatkkeun strategy refers to North Korea's policy toward South Korea, which relies on South Korea being tied between two strings?those of the U.S. and Japan?and if either string is cut, South Korea collapses.

He added, "I cannot understand the very condition that a serious bilateral agenda must be discussed at the summit meeting held on the occasion of the Olympics," and criticized, "It is unreasonable to think that the deep-rooted Korea-Japan conflict, unresolved for decades, can be solved by a single event such as the president's participation in the Olympics."

He continued, "The president's wish to restore the deteriorating Korea-Japan relations to normal through attending the Tokyo Olympics and holding a Korea-Japan summit is right. However, the Olympics is a sports and cultural festival," and argued, "If time permits, the president should attend all international competitions where our athletes participate to encourage them."

Choi Jong-geon, First Vice Foreign Minister, summoned Koichi Aiboshi, Ambassador of Japan to Korea, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on the 17th to protest inappropriate remarks made by a senior official of the Japanese Embassy in Korea. / Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tae further emphasized, "If President Moon's participation in the Tokyo Olympics is ultimately canceled due to excessive political bias, we must calmly consider which side between Korea and Japan would suffer more damage." He also added, "The Japanese side should stop actions that escalate Korea-Japan conflicts and quietly recall the person responsible for the recent offensive remarks to their home country within this year, which is in line with diplomatic customs."

Meanwhile, the Blue House is deliberating whether President Moon will attend the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for the 18th. Although there was a plan to improve Korea-Japan relations through the Tokyo Olympics, the recent Japanese Defense White Paper's claim over Dokdo sovereignty and inappropriate remarks by a senior official of the Japanese Embassy in Korea have cast a red light on the possibility of holding a Korea-Japan summit.

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