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South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a luncheon with religious leaders on Wednesday. (provided by the Blue House)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is not considering attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics to be held in February, the Blue House stated. This was the first time the Blue House commented on whether Moon will be present at the international sports competition soon to take place in the Chinese capital.

In response to a question about Moon’s plans vis-à-vis his attendance at the Olympics, a Blue House official said Wednesday, “The issue of President Moon attending the Beijing Olympics is not being considered; considerations are being made to dispatch an appropriate delegation in accordance with customs.”

The official also said, “Our basic stance is that we hope the Beijing Winter Olympics, as part of the [Northeast Asia] Olympic relay starting with the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will contribute to peace and prosperity in East Asia and the world as well as to improved relations between South and North Korea.”

Moon previously said at a press conference during a state visit to Australia in December that South Korea was not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

While countries such as the UK and Australia hopped on the diplomatic boycott bandwagon led by the US under President Joe Biden, Moon noted several factors for consideration, including South Korea’s economic relationship with China and that South Korea “need[s] the constructive efforts of China to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea.”

Hence, a delegation led by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum or Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee is likely to be formed to attend the Beijing Olympics in Moon’s stead.

Concerning observations that Moon may hold a video summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, the Blue House official said, “Though nothing is finalized, bilateral communications are taking place considering the significance of exchange between the two states’ leaders.”

The official also added, “Both South Korea and China are well aware of the importance of exchange between leaders and at other levels and agree that strategic communication should be strengthened through various means despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we are continuing relevant communications.”

Meanwhile, regarding North Korea’s announcement of a “successful hypersonic missile launch” in reference to the projectile it launched Tuesday, the Blue House reiterated, “North Korea’s continuous launch of missiles recently is extremely regrettable.”

The official continued, “We will keep taking steps to prevent a strain in our relationship with North Korea and to ensure the South Korean people are free from concern,” adding that, “Our military is fully equipped to prepare against the current threats so that our citizens do not have to worry about security threats.”

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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