International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attends the Executive Board virtual meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, Sept. 8, in this handout photo by the IOC. Reuters-Yonhap

Pyongyang holds military parade in scaled-down manner

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Moon Jae-in's hopes of improving inter-Korean relations at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has hit a major setback, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended North Korea from participation.

"The National Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is suspended until the end of the year 2022 as a result of its unilateral decision not to participate (in Tokyo)," IOC President Thomas Bach said during a press conference streamed online Wednesday (local time). DPRK is the official name of North Korea.

In April, North Korea announced that its athletes would not compete at the Tokyo Olympics, citing the risks of COVID-19 infections.

Though the IOC reserved the right to make decisions on individual North Korean athlete's participation, and to reconsider how long the ban will stay in force, the suspension, for now, effectively bans North Korea from the Winter Games, slated for Feb. 4 to 20 next year, dashing Moon's hopes to engage with Pyongyang on the occasion.

Though a senior official at Cheong Wa Dae said "it is an IOC decision on its member, so there will be no comment from the government," the suspension came as a disappointment for the Moon administration, which has been seeking to use international sporting events as a vehicle for facilitating talks with North Korea.

During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games held in South Korea, the North sent 22 athletes. Previously it sent none to the 2014 Winter Games and two in 2010. Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, also took part in the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games, and this led to a series of inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea summits later that year.

Ahead of the Tokyo Games this year, Moon had contemplated visiting the opening ceremony in a bid to engage with North Korean officials, as well as improving chilly relations between Seoul and Tokyo, but ended up not participating, after Pyongyang withdrew from the Games.

Regarding the Beijing Winter Games, government officials here had been anticipating that North Korea would likely participate, as the Kim regime has been bolstering its ties with China in recent months.

Despite the IOC decision, Cheong Wa Dae appears to be desperately searching for a silver lining. "As agreed between the leaders of South and North Korea, the South Korean government will intensify inter-Korean sports exchanges through various opportunities, such as the Beijing Games," one official said.

The Ministry of Unification said it will continue seeking ways to "improve peace" on the Korean Peninsula as well as opportunities for sports exchanges between the two Koreas.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, waves from a balcony toward assembled troops and spectators during a celebration of the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's foundation at Kim Il-sung Square, Thursday, in this handout photo from North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

Military parade

Meanwhile, North Korea held a military parade early Thursday morning to mark the 73rd anniversary of the regime's foundation, with leader Kim overseeing the event.

The reclusive state's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported later in the day that the parade was held at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang and led by the Worker-Peasant Red Guards and other military and police organizations considered as reserve forces, not regular troops.

North Korean soldiers pass by in vehicles during a parade celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the country's foundation at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, early Thursday morning, in this handout photo from North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. AP-Yonhap

The parade also appeared to be scaled down in terms of weapons on display. Unlike previous parades in January and October last year, in which strategic weapons such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles were shown off, Thursday's event mostly showed conventional weapons. The hour-long parade was also shorter than the 90 minutes in January and three hours in October 2021.

Also, while Kim attended the event, he did not deliver an address.

"The government is thoroughly analyzing the details of the parade, in close cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies," a Cheong Wa Dae official said, refusing to elaborate further.

Soldiers participate in a parade during a celebration of the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's foundation at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, early Thursday morning, in this handout photo from North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. AP-Yonhap