North Korea has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic, dashing Seoul’s hopes of using the event to improve inter-Korean relations and revive nuclear talks.
The decision to miss the Games scheduled to begin in July was made by North Korea’s Olympics committee on March 25, a website run by the country’s sports ministry said, citing the need to protect its athletes from the global health crisis.
The decision to withdraw coincides with deteriorating inter-Korean relations, which have been put under additional strain by North Korea’s recent missile launches and a stalemate in nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.