South Korea: Playing in Tokyo is an opportunity to talk to Pyongyang | the Olympics

“The Games scheduled for this year can serve as an opportunity for dialogue between South Korea, Japan, South and North Korea, North Korea, Japan, North Korea and the United States,” Moon said in a statement. In protest against the Japanese colonial rule of his country at the beginning of the last century.

Moon also stated that he wants to support Japan as much as possible to bring the games to a successful conclusion. “I hope that both Korea and Japan can recover our economies affected by Covid-19,” Moon said. “And that together we can create a new order in the post-Covid-19 era.”

South Korea has high diplomatic hopes for the Olympics. The government hopes this will provide an opportunity to revive relations with North Korea. Relations between the two countries have been strained since negotiations between the United States and Pyongyang to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program faltered in 2019.

According to observers, Moon wants to repeat the “success” of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang three years ago. Then there was talk of a rapprochement between Seoul and Pyongyang. Athletes from both countries entered the stadium under a common flag at the opening ceremony, under the name “Korea”. The women’s ice hockey team also consisted of players from both countries.