Seoul - North Korea blamed "hostile forces" and COVID-19 risks for not being able to attend the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing reported state media on Friday. The country also accused the United States of trying to prevent the Games' success.

The letter was sent by the Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) sent a letter to the Olympic Committee of the People's Republic of China, the Organizing Committee of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China.

The letter stated that the moves of the United States and its followers against China get more vicious to keep the Olympic Games from its successful opening. The Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the DPRK resolutely oppose and reject it as an insult to the spirit of the International Olympic Charter and a despicable act to tarnish the international image of China.

“We cannot take part in the games due to the moves of the hostile forces and the pandemic, but we will give full support to all the work of the Chinese comrades to hold a grand and wonderful Olympic festival” the letter read.

Several other countries, including Britain, Australia, and Canada have also since announced diplomatic boycotts.

"The United States and its followers against China get more vicious to keep the Olympic Games from its successful opening," the North Korean letter said, calling the moves "as an insult to the spirit of the International Olympic Charter and a despicable act to tarnish the international image of China."

China has been North Korea's only major ally since the two signed a treaty in 1961, and international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes have made it more dependent than ever on Beijing for trade and other support.
with inputs from Reuters/KCNA