North Korea Officially Withdraws from Olympics... Beijing Opportunity for Declaration of End of War Fades Away

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea's official declaration of non-participation in next month's Beijing Winter Olympics has effectively dashed the South Korean government's plan to use the event as an opportunity for a declaration of the end of the war.

The Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the 7th that on the 5th, the North Korean ambassador to China officially sent a letter to a senior official of the General Administration of Sport of China, announcing North Korea's non-participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It is understood that this decision is due to North Korea's suspension of Olympic participation rights until the end of this year following its absence from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as concerns over the serious COVID-19 situation. The letter stated, "Although we are unable to participate in the games due to the machinations of hostile forces and the global pandemic situation, we fully support and cheer for all the efforts of our Chinese comrades to prepare a grand and splendid Olympic festival."

Accordingly, the scenario of a declaration of the end of the war involving South Korea, North Korea, and China, or between the two Koreas, which had been raised in diplomatic circles around the Beijing Olympics, is also fading away. Jeong Seong-jang, head of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, analyzed, "Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, has no reason to participate in the Beijing Olympics," adding, "North Korea has almost completely sealed its borders to the extent that it cannot accept a new Chinese ambassador even after the Chinese ambassador in Pyongyang leaves."

While various alternatives such as a declaration of the end of the war in a third location other than Beijing may be discussed, realistically, there seems to be insufficient time to materialize this within President Moon Jae-in's term. Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said, "There is no sign of movement from the involved parties." Hong Min, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, also predicted, "Even if the North shows goodwill toward a declaration of the end of the war within this month, due to time constraints, it will likely be limited to confirming initial intentions at the working-level or high-level meetings."

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