Deputy prime minister may attend Beijing Winter Games

By Kang Seung-woo

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae, who doubles as education minister, is expected to lead the South Korean diplomatic delegation to next month's Beijing Winter Olympics. The government believes she is the best fit not to displease either the United States or China amid their intensifying rivalry.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hae / Korea Times photo

According to sources, Yoo is tentatively emerging as the right person to serve as an official representative to the quadrennial sporting event, scheduled to kick off, Feb. 4, after Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum was ruled out from the candidate list given that a premier is regarded as de facto a state leader, whose visit could disgruntle the United States.

In protest against China's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), the Joe Biden administration has decided not to send an official U.S. delegation to Beijing, followed by some of its allies, including Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Along with Kim, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee, who traveled to the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year, was considered as another government official to represent the country diplomatically, but given the importance of bilateral relations between South Korea and China, the government has been considering sending at least a deputy prime minister-level official. In addition, this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Also, the Chinese government sent vice premier-level officials Han Zheng and Liu Yandong to the opening and closing ceremonies of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, respectively.

The South Korean government has been agonizing over whether to join the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Games, as the United States is the nation's longtime security ally, while China is its largest trading partner.

The Moon administration had sought to take advantage of the Beijing Games to revive its stalled peace talks with North Korea, but Pyongyang's decision not to participate in the Winter Olympics, citing “hostile forces' maneuvers” and the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this month, has led Seoul to send a more appropriate delegation instead of Moon.

However, nothing has been firmly decided yet, according to the Cheong Wa Dae.

The government is expected to announce who will represent the country diplomatically at the last minute. In the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Moon's absence and the culture minister's attendance were made public four days ahead of the event's commencement.