Japan's Olympic Committee said Tuesday that North Korea has not yet notified it that it wouldn't participate in the Tokyo Games. North Korea sent 22 athletes to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, along with government officials, performance artists, journalists and a 230-member all-female cheering group. At the Pyeongchang Games, the North and South Korean athletes jointly marched under a blue map symbolizing a unified Korean Peninsula, while the red-clad North Korean cheerleaders captivated global attention. The North Korean contingent included the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who conveyed her brother's desire for a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a move that helped the North initiate talks with South Korea and the United States. Diplomatic efforts have been at a stalemate since, and North Korea's decision to sit out the Tokyo Olympics is a setback for hopes to revive it.

Source: New Zealand Herald April 06, 2021 04:07 UTC