Days after the U.S., Japan, and South Korea pledged cooperation in addressing North Korea, the reclusive country said it will not attend the Tokyo Olympics, citing COVID-19 as the reason.
Skipping to 'Protect Our Athletes'
North Korean media DPRK sports reported Tuesday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Olympic Committee held a video conference on March 25 and decided that it was best to skip the summer Olympic Games.
The Committee reportedly said that the decision was made "in order to protect our athletes from the global health crisis caused by the malicious virus infection."
The Tokyo Olympics was supposed to be held March 2020 but was postponed for the first time in the event's history amid the pandemic. The new schedule has been set for July 23 to August 8.
North Korea has said it has implemented stringent measures to control the spread of the virus within home ground and the country has insisted that it has not logged any confirmed infection. Health experts believe otherwise.
U.S. and Japan Pledge Cooperation with South Korea
News of North Korea's move came days after officials from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea met at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland and pledged "concerted trilateral cooperation" in addressing North Korean denuclearization.
In a joint statement, officials from the three countries agreed that "relevant UN security council resolutions by the international community" should be implemented in ensuring that peace and stability will be maintained "on the Korean Peninsula."
The rare in-person meeting was attended by U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his counterparts from Japan and South Korea, Shigeru Kitamura and Suh Hoon respectively.
The U.S. is on the final stages of reviewing how it will deal with North Korea after the former administration failed to result in a final agreement regarding denuclearization.
Foreigners Flee North Korea
Meanwhile, reports ensue about the alleged widespread shortage of essential goods in North Korea during the pandemic.
The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said foreign diplomats have fled the country in recent months due to shortage of food as well as a lack of information on how the government is managing the situation.
In a statement on its official Facebook page, the embassy said that at this time, there are only 290 expatriates in North Korea. All aid workers under humanitarian groups and NGOs have left due to the "unprecedented severity of total restrictions" and "acute shortage of necessary goods."
North Korean borders have been locked down for many months, but Russia has had one of the most significant diplomatic missions in the country before COVID-19 arrived.
Over the past year, Russia's presence in North Korea decreased. It has also been hard for diplomats to exit the country since the pandemic started.
