South Korea not planning to join US in diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

In a key development, a senior South Korean presidential official on Wednesday revealed that the country is not planning a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, made the comments in response to the US government's announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics due to China's human rights violations, Yonhap reported.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Biden administration stated on Monday that no US government officials will attend the February athletic event in China. While making the announcement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that the decision was made after considering the "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," as well as other human rights violations. However, she added that the athletes on Team USA have the full support of the administration.

Yonhap reported, citing the official as saying, "No decision has been made on our government's participation."

Seoul opted not to join the US' effort of Beijing Olympics boycott

According to the official, the US informed South Korea about the diplomatic embargo, and Seoul has opted not to join the US' effort of boycotting the Beijing Olympics. In reaction to the declaration by the United States, the South Korean government reiterated its fundamental support for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, expressing optimism that it will contribute to peace and inter-Korean relations. The Moon Jae-in administration expects that the Beijing Olympics would result in a breakthrough in attempts to restart the Korea peace process, similar to the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018.

When asked if Moon's attempts for an end-of-war statement will be hampered by the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, the source replied there is no direct connection between the declaration and the Olympics. According to the official, South Korea and the United States are in talks to declare the Korean War over, but North Korea's answer is yet unknown. Moon has stepped up diplomatic efforts to declare the Korean War officially ended, claiming that such a declaration would be the first step toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. Moon believes that an end-of-war statement will help restart stalled North Korean peace talks.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP