{"id":57246,"date":"2018-01-23T05:48:11","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T05:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=57246"},"modified":"2018-01-23T05:48:11","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T05:48:11","slug":"south-korea-government-rejects-pyongyang-olympics-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/south-korea-government-rejects-pyongyang-olympics-criticism.html","title":{"rendered":"South Korea government rejects ‘Pyongyang Olympics’ criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea government rejects ‘Pyongyang Olympics’ criticism<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Seoul\u2019s presidential Blue House rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month\u2019s Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang\u2019s nuclear and missile programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some opposition politicians and conservative civic in South Korea have criticized North Korea\u2019s participation in the Games, to be held in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the \u201cPyongyang Olympics\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust one month ago, acute tensions gripped the Korean peninsula, but the administration\u2019s efforts to tackle the crisis through dialogue has led to North Korea\u2019s participation in the Olympics,\u201d Blue House spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a news conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201dWe can\u2019t understand putting an outdated tag of \u2018Pyongyang Olympics\u2019 to the Pyeongchang Olympics, which will be a \u2018Peace Olympics\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a months-long standoff over the North\u2019s nuclear and missile tests, the two Koreas agreed during their first formal talks in nearly two years that the South will help arrange the North to join in the Games.<\/span><\/p>\n

But some specific plans, including fielding a joint women\u2019s ice hockey team and marching under a united flag, have proven controversial, with conservatives and younger South Koreans upset that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is stealing the spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small but vocal groups of South Korean demonstrators staged a protest at Seoul\u2019s central train station on Monday where a North Korean delegation had arrived. One sign at the protest read: \u201cWe\u2019re opposed to Kim Jong Un\u2019s Pyongyang Olympics!\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen North Korean athletes, cheerleaders and high-level officials came to attend the Asian Games in 2014, no one called it \u2018Pyongyang Asian Games,’\u201d Blue House spokesman Park said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re confident that the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The administration of South Korea\u2019s liberal president, Moon Jae-in, is also under pressure over its offer to send athletes to a North Korean ski resort for joint training. Experts say the move risks giving Kim\u2019s regime legitimacy and some much needed cash.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seoul officials are on a three-day trip to the North starting Tuesday to inspect the resort\u2019s facilities and the newly built Kalma Airport nearby that may be used to fly in the South Korean skiers, who are not expected to attend the Games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moon\u2019s approval rating has fallen to a four-month low at 66 percent, a poll showed on Monday, due to a backlash over the decision regarding the combined hockey team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-facebook-politics\/facebook-says-it-cant-guarantee-social-media-is-good-for-democracy-idUSKBN1FB14G<\/span><\/p>\n

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