Information Note from the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Vice President to the IOC President with a copy of the party manifesto on the 1988 Olympic games by the North Korean Communist Party

ASHWINI KUMAR
VICE PRESIDENT
INTERNATIONAL OYLMPIC COMMITTEE

R-75 GREATER KAILASH-I
NEW DELHI-110048
31st July 1985.

Dear

I enclose herewith a copy of the party menifesto [sic] on Olympic Games 1988 by the North Korean Communist Party [Korean Workers’ Party]. I had mentioned this in my report, and this menifesto [sic] may be tagged on to it.
Warm regards.

Yours



(Ashwini Kumar)


HE Mr Juan Antonio Samaranch
President CIO
Chateau De Vidy
CH-1007 Lausanne
Switzerland


--

New Delhi

Indian National Congress (I)


I would like to convey my warm comradely greetings to you, being pleased with the increasingly favourable development of the relations of friendship and cooperation between our two Parties formed in the common struggle to realize the noble idea of anti-imperialism, independence and non-alignment.

I have been entrusted by the Central Committee of our Party to send you this letter to inform the Central Committee of your Party of our Party’s stand towards the 24th International Olympic Games and to request your Party’s cooperation.
At present, the US and south Korean authorities are scheming to host the 24th International Olympic Games in Seoul as a link in the chains of their “two Koreas” plot.

Their attempt to carry through the “Seoul Olympiad” is, first of all, aimed at elevating the position of the south Korean authorities for the international “recognition” that the real master of Korea is the Seoul “regime” and south Korea is an “independent state.”

The United States also seeks the aggressive purpose to make Korea’s division a fait accompli by abusing the “Seoul Olympics” and thus keep hold of south Korea permanently as its colony and military base and nuclear attack base against our Republic and Asian continent.

Meanwhile, we advanced a proposal of holding tripartite talks between us, the United States and south Korea in order to foil the “two Koreas” plot of the US and Korean authorities and provide the prerequisite for national reunification and of late another proposal of holding north-south parliamentary talks and announcing a joint declaration of non-aggression so as to relax the tension in Korea and create an atmosphere favourable to the peaceful reunification even before the tripartite talks is held.

As your Party knows well, the United States, however, does not respond to the three-way talks proposal, and the south Korean authorities are turning away their face from our fair and reasonable proposal, while asserting to institute a so-called “unified constitution,” instead of discussing the question of non-aggression declaration at the north-south parliamentary talks.

This suggests that the United States and the south Korean authorities are clinging to the delaying tactics for prolonging the division under the name of dialogue.

Such stance of the south Korean side can also finds vivid expression in the north-south economic negotiation and Red Cross talks.

Judging from the above facts, it is crystal-clear that the United States and the south Korean authorities do not want peace and peaceful reunification of Korea and are trying to freeze at any cost the present state of division of Korea and continuously stir up the climate of confrontation and antagonism by using the “Seoul Olympics” as a device for division.

Therefore, the question of the “Seoul Olympiad” cannot be viewed merely as sports games, but a grave political matter of whether or not defending peace in Korea by checking and thwarting the “two Koreas” plot of the United States.

Such being the situation, the attempt of the United States and the south Korean authorities to host separately the Olympic Games in Seoul must be baffled decisively.

Moreover, the holding of the 24th International Olympic Games in Seoul under the circumstances where the people and youth and students of south Korea are waging a vigorous struggle to defend national independence against the US imperialists’ moves for permanent occupation of south Korea, oppose the military dictatorial “regime,” realize the democratization of south Korean society and achieve the independent and peaceful reunification of the country will help favouring the “two Koreas” policy of the south Korean authorities and emasculating the ever-rising struggle of the south Korean people.

Now there is an apprehension that if the socialist and non-aligned countries do not attend the 24th International Olympic Games, the Olympic movement will be divided, which will largely impede the sports development in every country.

Having taken into deep consideration such situation, our Party Central Committee had made conclusion that the most rational way of checking the “two Koreas” plot of the US and south Korean authorities and saving the Olympic movement from the crisis of division is to rename the 24th International Olympic Games “Korea Olympics” or “Korea Pyongyang-Seoul Olympics” instead of the “Seoul Olympics,” hold it under co-sponsorship of us and south Korea, and equally share the events of games in north and south, where both sides participate as a unified team.

Once this plan of ours is realized, the 24th International Olympic Games will proceed successfully in compliance with the ideal of the Olympic movement with all countries’ participation and greatly help prevent the eternal division of the Korean nation and realize the peaceful reunification of our country.

It is my firm belief that your Party will fully understand and actively support our proposal regarding the 24th International Olympic Games proceeding from the invariable desire for peace in Korea and her peaceful reunification.

There are still 3 years before the 24th International Olympic Games in 1988.

When the non-aligned countries including your country, our close friend, and progressive countries all over the world are united to actively wage their common struggle, they will be able to thwart the ruses of the US and south Korean authorities and thus put our proposal on co-sponsorship into effect.

We deem it necessary for our friends to take a resolute stand to exert a collective pressure to bear upon the US and the south Korean authorities if they reject our proposal in spite of our sincere joint efforts.

Your Party, Government and people have actively supported our proposal for national reunification conducive to putting an end to the division of Korea.

We are very grateful and will not forget it.

Your support and cooperation will greatly contribute to checking and frustrating divisive machinations of the US and south Korean authorities and creating a favourable international climate for peace and peaceful reunification of Korea.

In conclusion, believing that the brotherly friendship and cohesion between our two Parties, two countries and two peoples will be further consolidated and developed day by day, I wish for great successes in your responsible work.

Hwang Jang Yop
Secretary
Central Committee
Workers’ Party of Korea

Pyongyang, June,1985