North Korea yesterday threatened to review its decision to enter the upcoming Asian Games in South Korea, a day after talks on the Games broke down.
The North’s plan to send athletes and cheerleaders to the Games is among a set of measures it recently proposed to ease tensions between the rivals. Many in South Korea doubt how sincere the North is about its overtures, as the country has been conducting an unusually large number of missile and rocket launches in recent weeks.
The two Koreas met at a border village on Thursday for talks on the North’s participation in the Games, but the meeting ended with no agreement.
Pyongyang yesterday blamed South Korea for the breakdown, accusing the country of taking issue with the number of athletes the North plans to send, while citing safety concerns.
The North Korean delegates told their counterparts that the South Korean objections were aimed at stopping the North from attending the Games and that the country would now re-examine its participation if Seoul maintains such a stance, the agency reported.
South Korean delegates tried to find out details about the North Korean athletic squad and raised worries that big flags could cause a safety issue for North Korean cheerleaders.
The officials said that North Korea said that they wanted to send 350 athletes and 350 cheerleaders to the Games scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Incheon.
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