Lee voices opposition to diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Thursday South Korea should not diplomatically boycott the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

"The United States has never officially asked us to join in the boycott," Lee said at a meeting with editors at newspapers and broadcasters.

President Moon Jae-in and other senior officials have said that South Korea was not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games set for February, though no decision has been made.

"If we are concerned about what if the United States gets upset? ... it could lead to an ill-advised decision," Lee said. "We are not caught between the two, but are in a situation where we need to put them together."

The U.S. boycott threw cold water on Seoul's hopes to use the Olympics as a venue for inter-Korean reconciliation, as with the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and to possibly declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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