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International Olympic Committee (IOC) has imposed a disciplinary action against North Korea for not participating in the Tokyo Olympics. As a result, North Korea will not be able to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics to be held early next year.
This is Reporter Jung Joon-hyung.
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Among the 206 IOC member states, North Korea was the only country that did not participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
The IOC has imposed a disciplinary action suspending the qualifications of the North Korean Olympic Committee until the end of next year, accusing North Korea of violating its obligations stipulated in the Olympic Charter.
[Thomas Bach / IOC Chairman: North Korea was as absent from the Tokyo Olympics in violation of the Olympic Charter, did not fulfill their obligations (sending players to the need competitions)
to this discipline North Korea held in Beijing, China next February I was banned from participating in the Winter Olympics as a country.
However, the possibility for North Korean players to compete as individuals is open.
In the case of Russia, athletes competed in the Tokyo Olympics as individuals when it was found that they fabricated doping test results at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and was disciplined by the IOC.
However, considering North Korea's closed moves, it seems unlikely that players will play as individuals.
It is also reported that no North Korean athlete has secured the right to participate in the Beijing Olympics so far.
In the 2000s, only six North Korean athletes participated in the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006, two in Vancouver in 2010, and 10 in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Earlier, in April, North Korea decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics in order to protect its athletes from COVID-19.
With this decision of the IOC, it seems inevitable that setbacks will be inevitable for the South Korean government's plan for a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
(Video editing: Jo Moo-hwan)