North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang, could complicate the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to pressure the reclusive communist state, to abandon its nuclear weapons program, analysts say.
DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un's Sister Kim Yo Jong extended the rare invitation to the South Korean leader through his closest confidante: his only sister Kim Yo Jong, who was visiting the South as part of the North Korean delegation to the Winter Olympics, according to South Korea’s presidential office on Saturday. Moon said he wanted to “create the environment for that to be able to happen,” according to the office.
The North Korean diplomatic initiative comes amid growing international pressure, led by the United States, aimed at imposing maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime. Former U.S. officials and analysts say the North Korean move could put Moon, who supports Trump’s pressure campaign while pursuing dialogue with the North, at odds with the Trump administration.
The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games WHICH IS The 23rd Anniversary of Winter Olympic and commonly known as PyeongChang 2018, is an on going international multi-sport event hosted by the county of Pyeongchang, South Korea. The county was selected as the host city in July 2011, during the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa. It marks the first time that South Korea has hosted the Winter Olympics, and the second Olympics held in the country, the first being the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
The Winter Olympics runs from 9 to 25 February 2018, with certain events being held on 8 and 9 February 2018 prior to the opening ceremony. The games feature 102 events in seven sports with fifteen disciplines, including the addition of big air snowboarding, mass startspeed skating, mixed doubles curling, and mixed team alpine skiing to the Winter Olympic programme. A total of 2,952 athletes from 92 National Olympic Committees are slated to compete, including the debut of Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria and Singapore.
The lead-up to these Games was affected by the ongoing tensions between South Korea and North Korea, and also the ongoing missile crisis involving the country. These led to security concerns, with several countries threatening to skip the games if their safety was not ensured, including the United States. In January 2018, after their first high-level talks in over two years, North Korea agreed to participate in the Games. The countries also marched together during the opening ceremony and agreed to field a unified women's hockey team.
North Korean relations: Many of ROK people complained with Pyeong Chang 2018 as Pyong Yang Winter Olympic instead Pyeong Chang Winter Olympic 2018 due to decision of inviting many North Korean people to enteraining and cheer leaders even if North Korea is in UN sanctions are involved and people are complaining with President Moon Jae in invited DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong who is on the sanction lists (daily news, Fox News). Protesters at Gwanghwamun Plaza criticizing game's pro-North Korean measures, calling it the “Pyongyang Olympics”
Due to the state of relations between North and South Korea, concerns were raised over the security of the 2018 Winter Olympics, especially in the wake of tensions over North Korean missile and nuclear tests. On 20 September 2017, South Korean president Moon Jae-in stated that the country would ensure the security of the Games.
The next day, Laura Flessel-Colovic, the French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, stated that France would pull out of the Games if the safety of its delegation couldn't be guaranteed.
The next day, Austria and Germany raised similar concerns and also threatened to skip the Games. France later reaffirmed its participation. In early December 2017, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told Fox News that it was an "open question" whether the United States was going to participate in the games, citing security concerns in the region. However, days later the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, stated that the United States "looks forward to participating" and is attending.
In his New Year's address on 1 January 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un proposed talks in Seoul over the country's participation in the Games, which would be the first high-level talks between the North and South in over two years. As a result of the talks, held 9 January, North Korea agreed to field athletes in Pyeongchang.
On 17 January 2018, it was also announced that North and South Korea had agreed to field a unified Korean women's hockey team at the Games, and enter together under a Korean Unification Flag during the opening ceremony.
These moves were met with opposition in South Korea, including protests and online petitions; critics argued that the government was attempting to use the Olympics to spread pro-North Korean sentiment, and that the unified hockey team would not be successful. A rap video entitled "The Regret for Pyeong chang" (평창유감), which echoed these criticisms and referred to the event as the "Pyong yang Olympics", went viral in the country. Japan's foreign affairs ministerTarō Kōno warned South Korea to be wary of North Korea's "charm offensive", and not to ease its pressure on the country.
Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, attended the opening ceremony. This marked the first time since the Korean War that a member of the ruling Kim dynasty had visited South Korea.
On February 11th, 2018, DPRK Leader Kim Jong Un's Sister Kim Yo Jong Personally invited ROK President Moon to North Korea although ROK President Moon have mentioned that he will discuss with U.S.A. However, U.S.A. President Trump and Vice President Pence firmly believes that DPRK has to committed denuclearization before even any consideration to visit North Korea which many are believe not to even consider unless Denuclearization is committed and for sure, otherwise, ROK is falls into making complete DPRK KIM JONG UN regim.
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