North Korea boycotts University Games in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has scrapped plans to attend next month’s University Games in South Korea to protest the planned opening of a U.N. human rights office in Seoul, South Korean officials said today.

North Korea boycotted the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, both held in Seoul, but has since attended several other events in the South, including last year’s Asian Games in Incheon.

The North earlier told South Korean organizers that it wanted to send 75 athletes and 33 sports officials to the multi-sport event in the South Korean city of Gwangju.

But the North canceled the plans and told the International University Sports Federation last weekend that it will not attend the games, citing this week’s opening of the U.N. office tasked with specializing in its alleged rights violations, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

North Korea has said it would consider the U.N. office’s opening a declaration of confrontation.

North Korea also cited what it calls hostile military confrontation between the two Koreas, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.

The University Games is an Olympic-style event, with about 20,000 athletes from 170 countries competing in 21 events.