REVEALED: North Korea’s cunning ploy to force Seoul to lift sanctions on Pyongyang
NORTH Korea could force Seoul to lift sanctions on Pyongyang by threatening to pull out of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, according to South Korean spy agency.
The rogue nation could use the event as leverage to resume inter-Korean economic projects and demand more aid.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave a speech for New Year and said the country would send a delegation to the Games, and is open to talks with Seoul over the matter.
A report by the National Security Strategy (INSS) under Seoul's spy agency, said that North Korea may view its attendance as “help” for the south.
The report said: "In exchange for that, it cannot be ruled out that it would demand Seoul lift economic sanctions against it and resume economic cooperative projects and humanitarian aid.”
South Korea has joined the international community in imposing severe sanctions on the hermit country over Kim Jong Un’s nuclear missile testing amid fears of tensions escalating to World War 3.
The INNS also said Pyongyang could demand Seoul suspends military drills with the US.
The report added: “The North is likely to give weight to participation (in the Winter Olympics), but it is expected to make a final decision in tandem with the South's attitude.
"Pyongyang could call for such conditions when it opens talks with Seoul over the Olympics, a move aimed at taking an upper hand in inter-Korean ties.”
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South Korean president Moon Jae-in also called for joint military exercises to be postponed until after the Games.
He told NBC news: “It is possible for South Korea and the U.S. to review the possibility of postponing the drill.
“I have made such suggestion to the U.S., and the U.S. is currently reviewing. It all this depends on how North Korea behaves.”
The Winter Olympics will be held in PyeongChang in February, the Paralympic Games in March.
The report added a warning, saying: "But it also cannot be ruled out that the North could resume provocative acts if Seoul and Washington resume their joint military drills after the games.”
This comes after the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, revealed that America may not send athletes to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympicsbecause of North Korea’s threat of war.
Ms Haley said that it remains an “open question” whether to send athletes to the event in South Korea.