"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games during the general assembly to protect our athletes from the global health crisis situation related to the coronavirus as proposed by committee members," the Sports in the DPR Korea website said.
According to Yonhap, the decision was made on March 25, during a general assembly meeting of the north's Olympic Committee.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were initially scheduled for 2020 but were postponed in the spring of last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The games are currently scheduled to be held this summer, from July 23 until August 8.
Because of COVID-19, the Japanese government has decided to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without foreign spectators.
