Diminishing Possibility of President Moon Attending the Beijing Olympics

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The possibility of President Moon Jae-in attending the Beijing Winter Olympics appears to be gradually diminishing. This is due to the 'boycott' movement led by the United States and its allies, as well as Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong's statement that improving inter-Korean relations through the Beijing Olympics is difficult.

Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" on the 30th and said, "As US-China relations have severely deteriorated, the efforts to promote peace among major countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula through the Beijing Olympics have fundamentally begun to fall apart."

Earlier, at a press briefing held on the 29th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul, Minister Chung responded to a reporter's question about the possibility of holding inter-Korean and inter-Korean-Chinese summits during the Beijing Winter Olympics in February next year by saying, "We hoped to use the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations, but at present, I think such expectations are practically becoming difficult," expressing a skeptical stance in the same context.

This revealed the realistic recognition that even if President Moon attends the Beijing Olympics, improving inter-Korean relations, such as promoting a declaration to formally end the Korean War, will not be easy.

The Blue House has stated that "a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics has not been considered, and President Moon's attendance has not been decided," leaving open the possibility of attendance and still maintains this position. However, the diplomatic community views that if there are no substantial achievements such as progress in inter-Korean relations, the likelihood of President Moon attending the Beijing Olympics is low.

The situation where the United States' allies are consecutively announcing diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Olympics also adds pressure. According to foreign media, Germany's Foreign and Interior Ministers have also expressed their intention not to attend the Beijing Olympics. Although they cited it as a 'personal stance,' it is effectively participation in the 'diplomatic boycott.' Previously, eight countries including the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan officially announced diplomatic boycotts.

However, the possibility that North Korea might change its stance ahead of the presidential election cannot be ruled out. The US internet media outlet "Axios" predicted that North Korea might attempt inter-Korean summits at the Beijing Winter Olympics to increase the chances of a progressive candidate winning the March presidential election.

Our government also maintains its position to create an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations until the end. Minister Chung said, "We will not give up hope until the end and will make our best efforts to utilize every opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations and to early restart the Korean Peninsula peace process."

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