Republic of Korea rejects 'Pyongyang Olympics' criticism

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Seoul's presidential Blue House rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month's Winter Games had been hijacked by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Some opposition politicians and conservatives in the Republic of Korea (ROK) have criticized DPRK's participation in the Games to be held in the ROK's 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 DPRK's participation in the Olympics," Blue House spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a news conference.

"We're confident that the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world."

The Olympic Cauldron for the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games is pictured at the Alpensia resort in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, Jan. 23, 2018. /Reuters Photo

After a months-long standoff over DPRK's nuclear and missile tests, the two sides agreed during their first formal talks in nearly two years that the ROK will help arrange DPRK 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 Koreans in the south upset that DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un is stealing the spotlight.

The administration of ROK President Moon Jae-in is under pressure due to its offer to send athletes to a ski resort in the DPRK for joint training.

Seoul officials are on a three-day trip to DPRK starting Tuesday to inspect the resort's facilities and the newly built nearby Kalma Airport that may be used to fly the ROK skiers, who are not expected to attend the Games, into the country.

A poll on Monday showed that Moon's approval rating has fallen to a four-month low of 66 percent, due to a backlash over the decision regarding the combined hockey team.

An anti-DPRK activist holds a placard featuring DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un during a demonstration against inter-Korean talks, in Seoul, Jan. 9, 2018. /AFP Photo

Small but vocal groups of demonstrators staged a protest at Seoul's central train station on Monday where a DPRK delegation had arrived, burning a picture of Kim. One sign at the protest read: "We're opposed to Kim Jong Un's Pyongyang Olympics!".

DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, called the picture-burning protest a "shuddering, hideous crime", urging Seoul to apologize and punish those involved.

"We will never tolerate the hideous acts of the conservative hooligans who insulted the sacred dignity and symbol of the DPRK, and the dishonest behavior of the South Korean authorities who connived at such acts", said a spokesman of the organization via the official KCNA news agency on Tuesday.

"We cannot but take a serious consideration of our follow-up measures regarding the Winter Olympics."

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Source(s): Reuters