South Korea Not Considering Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympic Games

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – South Korea is not considering participating in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics despite Washington's decision, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday.

"With regards to the Beijing Olympics on the diplomatic boycott. We have not received a request from any other country, including the United States, to participate in a diplomatic boycott. We are not considering a boycott measure", Moon Jae-in said at a press conference during his visit to Australia.

The move comes in stark contrast to the Australian leadership's stance, who followed the US last week in declaring it will not send an official representation to Beijing for the Winter Olympics ceremonies.

Last week, the United States announced its intention not to send any diplomatic or official representation to the upcoming Winter Olympics in China, saying however that US athletes would still participate in the event. Washington said the reason for such a decision was alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Skiing - Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - FIS Ski Cross World Cup - Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, China - November 27, 2021 Spectators hold Chinese flags before the competition

© REUTERS / TINGSHU WANG

Beijing responded by expressing strong dissatisfaction with Washington's decision and urging it to stop politicising sports. At the same time, the Chinese authorities expressed confidence that the boycott will not undermine the successful holding of the Olympics. Moreover, the Chinese Embassy in the United States told Sputnik that Beijing had not invited US political representatives to the games.

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games will take place in Beijing from 4-20 February 2022.

Calls to boycott the event have been made for several months. In February, a coalition of 180 human rights groups sent an open letter urging foreign governments to boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing due to alleged violations of the rights of ethnic minorities in China.

In March, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.