NK backs out of inter-Korean ping pong team

North Korea abruptly notified Seoul of its decision not to participate in a joint South-North team in the 56th World Table Tennis Championships in Osaka, Japan next month.

Chae Ra-Woo, chairman of the North Korean Table Tennis Association, sent a telephone message to his South Korean counterpart Lee Kwang-Nam, saying that the North would not participate in the forthcoming games as part of an inter-Korean team. He said it would be difficult for the two Koreas to reach agreement on the formation of a joint team at the moment owing to a lack of preparations.

However, the North Korean side did not mention the background for its decision. It also made no reference to whether it would send a team to the tournament.

Culture-Information Minister Kim Han-Gill, who had announced an agreement with Pyongyang on joint participation in the Osaka games following his recent visit to the North, said that Pyongyang`s refusal to uphold the commitment could damage not only inter-Korean relations but also its credibility in the international community. Noting that the North Korean move also runs counter to the June 15 Joint South-North Declaration, the minister expressed deep regret over the North Korean decision.

Kim Hwa-Sung mars@donga.com