Letter from the Permanent Mission of the ROK, Geneva to International Olympic Committee President regarding the USSR, Cuba and North Korea’s position on the 1988 Olympics

PERMANENT MISISON OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
GENEVA

31 July, 1985

(stamped confidential)

Excellency,

Please find attached herewith a copy of the English text which I cabled to Seoul, following our meeting this morning.

In the rest of the cable, in the Korean language, I reported Your Excellency’s comments 1) on the “Goodwill Games” as not so important and not to be worried, 2) on the need to give a “red carpet treatment” to Mr. Renke, 3) on Kim’s (North Korea’s) reaction to Your Excellency’s query about their position on 86 Asian Games and his non-response to Your Excellency’s remarks about the impossibility of splitting the Games, 4) on Your Excellency’s desire to spend most of your time in Seoul for consulation and discussion of the forthcoming Lausanne Meeting rather than for sightseeing or observation of industrial complex (sightseeing program is agreeable for your daughter and son), and 5) finally on Your Excellency’s advice about the need of my own presence in Seoul during your forthcoming visit.


Kun PARK
Ambassador

H.E. Juan Antonio Samaranch
President of IOC
Château de Vidy
CH-1007 Lausanne



(stamped confidential)

During my visit to Moscow, I conferred with Soviet Officials and also met Mr. Kim Yu Sun, North Korean Sports Minister and President of Sports Committee of North Korea. I will explain to you respective positions of USSR, NK, and also IOC.

The position of USSR : They are ready to take part in the Games. They are not worried regarding the position of North Korea. But they told me that they were worried regarding the position of Cuba, because Cuba is a very important socialist country for them. USSR thinks that Cuba and North Korea working together can be quite dangerous. USSR advised me that, may-be, I must directly contact with President Castro, in the near future. I am ready to do it, but to have this meeting, I have to be invited by President Castro. Also regarding USSR, they were very kind to me and interested in the Olympic movement. They presented to me officially a letter from the muncipality of Leningrad, asking for winter Olympic Games of 1996. I also received a letter from the President of the USSR, Mr. Gromyko, quoting candidature of Leningrad. That means to me, they are very interested in the Olympic movement.

The position of NK : Now, regarding the meeting I had with Mr. Kim Yu Sun, in Moscow on 28 July, I met him for 1 hour and 50 minutes at the Official Government Residence where I stayed during my visit to USSR.
At the beginning, he told me that the aim of NK is to organize the Olympic Games jointly with South Korea and to split the games between Seoul and Pyongyang. My answer was in 2 points. (1) I told him very clearly that IOC can not break the Olympic Charter. We have to follow Olympic Charter and to split the Games is impossible. (2) I told him that IOC is ready to help them in order that they can be present in the Games. I told him that we can study in our forthcoming meeting in Lausanne regarding which actions can be taken during the Olympic Games in Seoul to show the world ---- even it is symbolic --- that all the Koreans know very well that in the future there will be only one Korea.

The position of IOC : First of all, we have to change the dates of the Meeting in Lausanne. The final dates will be 8-9 October, beginning 10:00 a.m. on October 8 at Chateau de Vidy, the IOC Headquarters. There will be only 5 official delegates (excluding one interpreter from each side) in the table for each side. We will speak English. Advisors etc. can come, but they cannot be in the room.