Pyongyang ‘hijacked’ Games
CONSERVATIVES, YOUNG SOUTH KOREANS UPSET AT NORTH’S PARTICIPATION
Seoul’s presidential Blue House rejected criticism yesterday that next month’s Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Some opposition politicians and conservatives in South Korea have criticised North Korea’s participation in the Games to be held in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the “Pyongyang Olympics”.
“Just one month ago, acute tensions gripped the Korean peninsula, but the administration’s efforts to tackle the crisis through dialogue has led to North Korea’s participation in the Olympics,” said Blue House spokesperson Park Soo-hyun.
“We’re confident the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world.”
After a months-long standoff over the North’s nuclear and missile tests, the two Koreas agreed during their first formal talks in nearly two years that the South will help arrange the North to join in the Games.
Some specific plans, however, including fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team and marching under a united flag, have proven controversial, with conservatives and younger South Koreans upset that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is stealing the spotlight.
The administration of South Korea’s liberal President, Moon Jae-in, is under pressure over its offer to send athletes to a North Korean ski resort for joint training.
Experts say the move risks giving Kim’s regime legitimacy and some much needed cash.
Seoul officials are on a threeday trip to the North, starting yesterday, to inspect the resort’s facilities and the newly built Kalma Airport nearby that may be used to fly in the South Korean skiers.
Moon’s approval rating has fallen to a four-month low at 66%, a poll showed on Monday, due to a backlash over the decision regarding the combined hockey team.
Small but vocal groups of demonstrators staged a protest at Seoul’s central train station on Monday where a North Korean delegation had arrived, burning a picture of Kim.
One sign at the protest read: “We’re opposed to Kim Jong-Un’s Pyongyang Olympics!” –