South Korea has suggested to the U.S. the two countries postpone joint military exercises on the Korean peninsula in an effort to cool tensions with North Korea ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.
In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said holding off on military exercises may help ensure a safe Olympics but such an idea depends on the North’s “provocative actions.”
“If North Korea stops its provocations leading up to the Pyeongchang Olympics, it will greatly help in holding a safe Olympics,” the president said. “Also, it will help in creating conducive atmosphere towards inter-Korean as well as U.S.-North Korean dialogue.”
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The Winter Games are scheduled to get underway on Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, which is about 80 kilometres from the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
“It is possible for South Korea and the U.S. to review the possibility of postponing the drill,” Moon told NBC. “I have made such suggestion to the U.S., and the U.S is currently reviewing. All this depends on how North Korea behaves.”
Earlier this month, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said there should be discussions over the safety of sending American athletes to the Korean Peninsula for the Winter Olympics amid North Korea tensions.
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When asked by Fox News whether American athletes will compete, the ambassador said “That’s an open question. I have not heard anything about that, but I do know in the talks that we have, whether it’s Jerusalem, whether it’s North Korea, it’s always about how do we protect the U.S. citizens in the area. Those are conversations that are happening daily.”
The U.S. Olympic Committee said it hasn’t had any discussions, either internally or with government officials, about the possibility of not taking teams to next year’s Olympics.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said safety for its athletes is the top priority at the Games.
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“The safety of our entire Canadian Olympic Team is always our main priority, no matter where the Games are held. We work with the government of Canada, the host country, the RCMP and other security agencies to ensure the safest and most secure environment possible for Canadians,” Photi Sotiropoulos said. “The COC and the RCMP have representatives in South Korea and have routinely done site visits to the country.”
The South Korean president told NBC News that he hopes the Olympics bring a message of peace and the North’s athletes will attend the Games.
“Given the track record, North Korea is likely to make the decision to participate in the Olympics at he very last minute,” Moon said.
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