Seoul /
North Korea will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to the risks posed by the coronavirus, the North Korean Minister of Sports announced on Tuesday.
The North Korean Olympic Committee decided “not to participate in the 32º Olympic Games for protect athletes from the global health crisis which has generated the covid-19 “, assured the information service of the Ministry of Sports.
The latest participation of the isolated and nuclearized North Korean state in a Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Contributed to the 2018 diplomatic approach.
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, Sent to his sister Kim Yo Young at these games, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in took advantage of to promote negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington that resulted in two meetings between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump.
Pyongyang’s announcement puts an end to Seoul’s hopes of turning the postponed Tokyo Games into an excuse to reactivate the negotiation process which is currently at a standstill.
The announcement, which dates from Monday, posted on the ministry’s website notes that it is a decision taken by the National Olympic Committee that took place on March 25th.
The state news agency KCNA had reported on the meeting earlier but without mentioning the decision.