[Desk Column] Even the Faintest Hope for Peace on the Korean Peninsula Must Not Be Abandoned

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] The possibility of realizing a ‘ceasefire declaration’ using the Beijing Winter Olympics stage has significantly diminished due to the ‘Olympic diplomatic boycott’ by the Joe Biden U.S. administration.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki explained at a regular briefing on the 6th (local time), "We will not send any diplomatic or official delegations to the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics," adding that this decision was made due to "ongoing genocide, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region." The U.S. State Department stated regarding countries’ decisions on participation in the Beijing Olympics, “It is a decision each country must make on its own, not one made by the U.S. or other governments on their behalf.”

The Olympic diplomatic boycott differs from a ‘full boycott’ where even athletes are not sent; instead, athletes participate, but government delegations do not attend events such as the opening and closing ceremonies. The focus is on embarrassing the host country. Although it is framed as a protest against ‘human rights violations,’ it essentially represents the U.S.’s active containment of China.

Governments of various countries, which must consider the U.S.’s stance, inevitably face deep dilemmas. Should they join the U.S. diplomatic boycott or not? After the U.S. announced the diplomatic boycott, China declared that it would "make them pay the price," implying retaliation. Therefore, the diplomatic boycott will not end with the Beijing Olympics. The Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, USA, in 2028, and Brisbane, Australia, in 2032. If China boycotts those events, it would be unreasonable for us to boycott them as well.

During a state visit to Australia on the 13th, President Moon Jae-in said he was "not considering" a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. However, the government’s plan to use the Beijing Olympics as a platform for a ceasefire declaration and other Korean Peninsula peace events has encountered setbacks.

Bruce Klingner, senior researcher and Korean Peninsula expert at the U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation, appeared on the Voice of America (VOA) Korean service program ‘Washington Talk’ on the 10th and urged as follows: "In many cases, I think South Korea fears China’s economic threats and retaliation. China has taken actions against South Korea, Japan, Australia, and other countries. When there are political or diplomatic issues, China responds economically. Therefore, South Korea may have fears due to its trade dependence on China. But I believe democratic countries need to stand up for what is right, even if there are costs involved."

This realistically points out our situation. However, there is a more important issue for us: the future of the Korean Peninsula. The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were used as a ‘window of opportunity’ to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. We must strive to open even a small window of opportunity at this Beijing Olympics.

China is reportedly trying to hold the Beijing Olympics as simply as possible due to COVID-19 prevention concerns. This means it will be difficult to properly set the stage for Korean Peninsula peace during the event. Moreover, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the North Korean National Olympic Committee’s (NOC) qualification until the end of next year after North Korea did not participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and with the spread of the COVID-19 variant Omicron, the possibility of North Korean State Chairman Kim Jong-un visiting China during the Beijing Olympics has become even slimmer. Nevertheless, we should believe there is still some room to open the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

Until permanent peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, we must not abandon even the smallest hope.

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