N. Korea pulls out of pre-Olympic event with South
January 30, 2018
North Korea has scrapped a planned cultural event with the South to mark the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, officials in Seoul said late on Monday.
The North Korean government reportedly cited "insulting" and defamatory media coverage in the South as grounds for canceling the February 4 joint performance at the North's Diamond Mountain.
Although Pyongyang did not mention any specific news stories, some outlets in the South have been critical of the North's plans to hold a large military parade on February 8, the eve of the Olympic opening ceremonies, to mark the 70th anniversary of its army.
Seoul called the change of heart "very regrettable."
North Korea is known for seemingly random about-faces in its policy towards the South, often done in an effort to gain diplomatic leverage.
The unified games
Earlier this month, the two countries announced that after a year of heightened tensions, they had agreed to march under one flag and field a joint women's ice hockey team.
The move echoed a similar set of circumstances at the Seoul Olympics 30 years earlier. In 1988, scared of more violence at the Olympics after a terror attack by the North, Seoul made gestures of rapprochement to Pyongyang. Back then, the North cancelled a plan to co-host the Olympics because it felt it was not offered enough events.
It was unclear how the North's decision to cancel the concert would affect the other plans at the upcoming Olympics. While the decision to march together was greeted warmly internationally, it has upset many South Koreans – who say the joint hockey team has cost local players their Olympic dreams. The move cost President Moon Jae-in six approval points in a single week, sending his popularity below 60 percent for the first time.