North Korea won't take part in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over COVID-19 pandemic: Report

North Korea has announced that it will not be taking part in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics games scheduled for February this year, ANI reported. The communist regime listed the reason for withdrawal as the activities of the "hostile forces" and the COVID-19 pandemic.  "We could not take part in the Olympics due to the hostile forces' moves and the worldwide pandemic, but we would fully support the Chinese comrades in all their work to hold splendid and wonderful Olympic festival," Sputnik reported, citing the North Korean state-affiliated KCNA agency that accessed a letter from the North Korean Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports to the Chinese Olympic Committee.

DPRK latest in Beijing’s 2020 Olympic Games’ diplomatic boycott

North Korea’s announcement falls in line with the United States’ move that first boycotted the Beijing Olympics over the country’s human rights abuses on the minority community Uyghurs. The DPRK became the latest in withdrawing from Beijing Olympic Games after several other nations worldwide including Canada and Australia made an official announcement that no diplomats or ministers from their country will attend in defiance of China’s alleged genocide in Xinjiang province. 

It, however, remains unclear if North Korea plans to send the athletes like the rest of the countries. Contradictory to North Korea’s move, a senior presidential secretary for public relations Park Soo-Hyun announced earlier that as South Korea, the previous host of the Winter Olympics, was obliged to take a special interest in the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will start from February 2022. The Secretary said that they will decide later whether it is acceptable for South Korean President Moon Jae-in to attend the opening ceremony. President Moon already stated that South Korea was not planning a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics in February. 

The local Uygur community in Belgium's Antwerp city took to the streets this week to protest the PRC’s atrocities against the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities residing in China's Xinjiang province. Belgium-based local Uygur community also raised slogans against Beijing and appealed to European nations to boycott the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, scheduled to be held in February.  A US-based Uyghur rights activist has called on Europe to uphold its values and take necessary action against Chinese officials in Xinjiang province.