N. Korea accuses US of trying to turn Winter Olympics into theater of confrontation

PYONGYANG: The North Korea has accused the United States of trying to turn the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics Games into a theater of confrontation with Pyongyang, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary, that US VicePresident Mike Pence claimed that he would go to the Winter Olympics to hold back the North Korea’s ‘propaganda offensive.’

“Pence will hold a series of press conferences before and during the Olympics and he is determined to make sure that the Olympic ground would not turn into a propaganda ground for north Korea,” KCNA cited a White House official as saying.

Pence, whose father was a US serviceman who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War, is known for his hardline stance against the North Korea.

“This is aimed to check the trend for improved inter-Korean ties that has gained momentum thanks to the North Korea’s bold and proactive efforts, and to drive a wedge among the Koreans,” said KCNA.

North and South Korea held several rounds of talks last month on cooperation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The skiers of the two sides have also held joint training sessions last week in the North Korea to prepare for the games, the KCNA reported.

The 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games are scheduled to be held on Feb 9 to 25 in the city of PyeongChang, South Korea. — Bernama