A pair of North Korean figure skaters have given up their chance to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The skaters, the North's only athletes to qualify for the Olympics, failed to register for the event by the deadline.

According to the Korea Skating Union on Thursday, Ryom Tae-ok, 18, and Kim Ju-sik, 25, had not signed up for the Pyeongchang Olympics as of Oct. 30, the International Skating Union's deadline for Olympic registration for skaters who earned Olympic berths at the Nebelhorn Trophy event in September.

Ryom and Kim claimed one of the last four Olympic berths for the pair skating event by scoring 180.09 points overall at the Nebelhorn Trophy.

"Not submitting an application to the ISU is usually interpreted as forfeiting the spot," a KSU official said.