State Department Spokesman Ned Price▶ Click here for a larger view
The US State Department said on the 6th (local time) that it appears to be in line with North Korea’s strict response to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in connection with North Korea’s announcement that it will not attend the Tokyo Olympics.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing today when asked about North Korea’s absence from the Tokyo Olympics, “we are aware of reports that North Korea has decided not to participate in the Summer Olympics.”
“It seems to be in line with North Korea’s strict response to Corona 19,” he added.
While evaluating North Korea’s decision to absent from the Tokyo Olympics as a response to Corona 19, no further interpretation was made.
The South Korean government has been hoping that the Tokyo Olympics could serve as an opportunity for dialogue with North Korea. It is possible that related discussions were also on the table in the first face-to-face discussion with the Korea-US-Japan security command tower held on the 2nd.
Spokesman Price reiterated the principle stance at the briefing, saying, “We will continue to coordinate closely with South Korea and Japan on the North Korean issue in pursuit of the common goal of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific.”
He explained that the US Secretary of State Tony Blingen’s visit to Japan and the Korea-US-Japan Security Command Tower meeting were held as part of a review of US policy toward North Korea, and that the review is still underway.
“North Korea is a common threat to all three countries,” he said. “We will continue to focus on reducing the threat to our partners and the United States, as well as our treaty alliance in the Indo-Pacific region, while continuing to commit to North Korea’s principles of denuclearization.” Emphasized.
North Korea announced on the 6th that it has decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics to protect athletes from the Corona 19 crisis on the 6th Korean time.
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