Seoul
North Korea will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics Due to the risks posed by the corona virus, the North Korean Minister of Sports announced on Tuesday.
The North Korean Olympic Committee decided “not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games protecting athletes from the global health crisis that’s what generated the covid-19, “assured the information service of the Ministry of Sport.
The latest participation of the isolated and nuclear-powered North Korean state in a Winter Games, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, contributed to the 2018 diplomatic rapprochement.
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, he sent his sister Kim Yo Young these games, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in took advantage of to further negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, which at the time resulted in two meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
Pyongyang’s announcement ends Seoul’s hopes of turning postponed Tokyo Games into an excuse reactivate the negotiation process which is currently in neutral.
The announcement, which dates back to Monday, published on the ministry’s website, indicates that it is a decision of the national Olympic Committee that took place on March 25.
The state news agency KCNA had previously reported on the meeting, but without mentioning the decision.