[Editorial] Kim Yong-nam’s visit shows North Korea viewing Olympics with highest respect

President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korea’s IOC member Jang Woong at an introductory event for the IOC at the St. John’s Hotel in Gangneung on Feb. 5. In the middle is IOC President Thomas Bach.

Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly, will be visiting South Korea on Feb. 9 to celebrate the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Since Kim is the nominal North Korean head of state, this can be seen as the North treating the Pyeongchang Olympics with the greatest respect. The North appears to be signaling that it intends to make a “diplomatic effort” at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which will be attended by a large number of world leaders and other dignitaries from around the world. As such, this should be viewed positively.

The Blue House declared that it “welcomes” Kim Yong-nam’s visit and promised to “prepare various kinds of communication, including high-level talks.” The government needs to lay the groundwork for Kim’s visit to sustain the improvements in inter-Korean relations and peace talks on the Korean Peninsula even after the Pyeongchang Olympics are over.

Since the “bloody nose” limited strike on North Korea advocated by hardliners in the administration of US President Donald Trump came to the fore when Victor Cha was recently dropped from consideration as the next US ambassador to South Korea, Seoul must work even harder to create the conditions for peace.

We also hope that the US will leave open the door to dialogue with North Korea instead of slamming that door shut by placing the sole emphasis on pressure and sanctions. The Trump administration has denied discussing a “bloody nose” attack, but numerous experts in South Korea and the US are still obviously anxious and concerned. The Trump administration will have to show that it is moving toward dialogue, rather than the military option, before people will trust that it is interested in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully.

And if North Korea wants meaningful dialogue with the US, it needs to show a modicum of sincerity in regard to the military parade that will be held the day before the opening ceremony. North Korea may insist that this military parade is an internal affair, but if it publicly displays and flaunts ICBMs that could be used to attack the US mainland, this is sure to present an obstacle to talks with the US.

President Moon Jae-in gives an address in the opening ceremony of the general assembly of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Gangneung Art Center on Feb. 5.

During an address delivered in the opening ceremony of the general assembly of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Feb. 5, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told how his parents had come down from North Korea during the “Jan. 4 Retreat” in 1951, 68 years ago. “The winter of that year left a deep and painful scar in the history of the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said.

As recently as the end of last year, it was unimaginable that South and North Korea would enter the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics together or field a unified inter-Korean team for the first time in the history of the Olympics. Now the peace achieved through sports must not stop at Pyeongchang. This is the time for all Koreans to work together so that Pyeongchang can be a springboard to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

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