On January 19 , North Korea announced that it would cancel a visit to South Korea by an inspection team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics , then changed its mind later that day , stirring controversy within South Korea . The Liberty Korea Party argued , " The Moon Jae - in government has fallen for North Korea ' s opposition , " and then when North Korea later notified of their plans to proceed with the visit , claimed , " The government must clearly state and explain what other compromises it made . " Online , people fiercely attacked North Korea for its unilateral notice without any clear explanation . The controversy surrounding a single team Korea in women ' s ice hockey intensified . The government ' s unreliable response fueled the controversy . It is regrettable to witness the nation reacting to each little detail concerning an incident triggered by North Korea . Of course , North Korea abruptly notifying South Korea of its plans to cancel the visit goes against international norms and good faith . If the purpose was to shake the South and secure the initiative in inter - Korean relations , its action was not only undesirable , but it would never have worked . North Korea had resorted to similar tactics in the past , notifying South Korea of a delay just one day before the 2000 inter - Korean summit , but it never obtained anything more from such actions . If there were some internal circumstances that required a delay , Pyongyang should have been honest about it and discussed the situation with South Korea . Credibility comes first in inter - Korean relations . Apart from this , the South Korean society ' s overreaction is another serious issue . In particular , the conservatives have gone well beyond a tolerable level , taking advantage of North Korea ' s attitude and trying to use it to exert a negative influence on the PyeongChang Olympics . On January 21 , the Liberty Korea Party accused the government saying , " If they persuaded the IOC ( to form a single team Korea ) for North Korea , it is treason . " The Liberty Korea Party has made outrageous demands saying that the government should achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in the negotiations on North Korea ' s participation at the PyeongChang Olympic Games . We find ourselves wondering whether perhaps the opposition party wishes for the inter - Korean talks to fail . The conservative opposition party seems to have forgotten that they had once promoted or engaged in inter - Korean talks under a conservative government . For instance , Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Na Kyung - won , who is also a member of the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee , sent a letter opposing a single team Korea to the IOC on January 19 . Such actions are self - contradictory . In 2012 , when President Lee Myung - bak was in office , Na had sent a letter to North Korea asking them to take part in the Olympics . The government also needs to take a firmer stance on this issue . Minister of Unification Cho Myoung - gyon revealed his impatience by saying , " We will ask North Korea for an explanation on the delay , " in less than a day since the North notified of their plans to cancel the visit by the inspection team . The press coverage also has its own problems , broadcasting live the attire and actions of Hyon Song - wol , the chief delegate of North Korea ' s inspection team , during her visit to South Korea . North Korea ' s participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Games is merely the starting point of a long journey toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula . If everyone truly wants denuclearization , we should all be more cautious . ▶ 경향신문 SNS [ 트위터 ] [ 페이스북 ] ▶ [ 인기 무료 만화 보 기 ] © 경향신문 ( www . khan . co . kr ) , 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지