DP calls for Olympic boycott over Japan’s Dokdo claims

May 31, 2021, 08:07 am

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Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during a ceremony held at Taean, South Chungcheong Province, on May 29, 2021./ Source: Lawmaker Lee Won-wook

AsiaToday reporter Chun Hyun-bin

In relation to the map on the official website of the Tokyo Olympics Committee illustrating Korea’s Dokdo as part of Japan’s territory, political heavyweights are strongly criticizing Japan’s stance, and even mentioning the possibility of Seoul boycotting the Summer Games. However, the possibility of boycotting remains uncertain since decision on athlete attendance is handled by the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of each country.

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, one of the three major presidential hopefuls of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), was the first to express criticism towards Japan’s claims. On May 30, the former prime minister wrote on Facebook that Japan’s inclusion of Dokdo on its Olympic map was a “clear political provocation,” and opposed Seoul’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics.

Chung also expressed concerns about the COVID-19 infection. He criticized the idea of the IOC requiring Olympic athletes to sign a waiver and exempting organizers from liability for COVID-19-related risks, calling it “extremely irresponsible.”

He said he opposed Seoul’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics that “undermine Korea’s sovereignty and pride.” He added that he will keep an eye on the attitude of the IOC.

The former prime minister strongly criticized Japan as “bad and lethal” in a rare move during a meeting with city and provincial assembly members in the Chungnam region on Saturday.

DP Rep. Park Yong-jin, who recently declared bid for president, said, “It seems the IOC and the Japanese government want to ruin the Summer Games. We cannot accept Japan’s inclusion of Dokdo on its Olympic map. It must be deleted immediately.”

DP spokesperson Lee Yong-bin also urged the Japanese government to remove Dokdo from the Olympic map, in a commentary on Sunday.

Earlier, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on Friday urging Tokyo to delete Korea’s islets from the map. In a phone interview with AsiaToday on Sunday, an official from the foreign ministry said, “Whether to participate in the Olympics or not is decided by the NOC of each country. We have no official yet other than the request to delete Dokdo from the map.”

The reason why politicians urged the IOC to take direct action in response to Japan’s Dokdo claims is because the IOC has the duty and responsibility for political neutrality. The South Korean government had accepted the IOC’s recommendation to remove the mark of Dokdo from the Korean Peninsula during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

#Democratic Party #Dokdo #Olympic #boycott #Tokyo Olympics