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North Korea announced that it will not be attending the summer Universiade, scheduled to take place in Gwangju between July 3 and 14, because the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is setting up a field office in Seoul. The announcement throws a wrench in the plans of the South Korean government to treat North Korea’s participation in the sports event as an opportunity to resume inter-Korean exchange.

The citizens of Gwangju, who had been looking forward to celebrating peace under the name “peaceversiade,” were unable to hide their disappointment that “distrust and discord” had gotten in the way.

On June 22, the Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee held a press conference at which it made public the announcement it had received from North Korea. “North Korea sent an email that said, ‘We cannot participate in the games because the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is setting up a field office about North Korea in Seoul,’” the committee said.

The office that North Korea objects to was scheduled to open in a building in the Jongno District of Seoul on June 23 in order to monitor and record North Korean human rights abuses.

North Korea sent an email in the name of Jon Kuk-man, chairman of the North Korean University Student Athletic Association at 6:31 pm on June 19. The email was sent from the account by which North Korea had been communicating with the organizing committee.

The recipient named in the email was not a staff member at the organizing committee but rather Eric Saintrond, Secretary General of the International University Sports Federation (FISU). FISU did not receive this message, according to reports.

“We are currently working with the Unification Ministry to determine North Korea’s real intentions,” the organizing committee said.

“I express my regret that North Korea will not be participating. With an open mind, I will hope and ask for North Korea’s participation until the end,” said Yoon Jang-hyun, mayor of Gwangju and chair of the organizing committee.

During the regular briefing on Monday, Unification Ministry spokesperson Lim Byeong-cheol addressed North Korea’s explanation that it was not participating in the games between the UN human rights body was setting up an office in Seoul.

“Since human rights are universal human values, the fact that the UN human rights office or any other international organization is opening an office in South Korea does not present a problem,” Lim said. “Instead of criticizing the UN’s decision to set up an office for North Korean human rights, the North Korean government ought to be working with the UN and the international community to improve the human rights situation and the quality of life of North Korean people.”

Since the organization into groups has already taken place for the team events of women’s football and handball, North Korea’s withdrawal from the games would mean that the schedule of games will have to be redone.

This past March, North Korea announced that it would be sending an athletic contingent of 108 people, including 33 staff and 75 athletes in the two team categories of women’s football and handball and the six individual categories of track, diving, machine gymnastics, rhythm gymnastics, table tennis, and judo. However, North Korea failed to submit a detailed list of participating athletes by the first deadline of June 3 and the extended deadline of June 15.

The news that North Korea had announced its withdrawal from the games elicited a sigh of frustration from Gwangju citizens, who had been looking forward to a “peaceversiade” on the 70th anniversary of South Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

“No matter how true something may be, there’s a time and place for it. It pains me that this chance for young athletes from North and South Korea to interact was squandered because of political bickering,” said An Seong-rye, 78, director of the House of the Mothers of May and the Human Rights Library.

By Ahn Gwan-ok, Gwangju correspondent and Son Won-je, staff reporter

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