PYONGYANG, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday slammed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for trying to sow disputes among Koreans by planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary that Abe made up his mind to take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympics because he wanted to pressurize Seoul to maintain maximum pressure on the DPRK for the latter's nuclear and missile programs.
"Meanwhile, he asserted that he would not accept the demand of the South Korean authorities for additional steps related to the 'agreement' on the issue of sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army," said the official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
Accusing Abe of attempting to "chill the warming climate of inter-Korean dialogue and turn the theater of Olympics into a ground of confrontation between compatriots," the daily said his participation is "pursuant to the scenario of the U.S. to bind South Korean authorities to the chains for tightening sanctions against the north."
The DPRK has also accused the United States of trying to sabotage the detente process on the Korean Peninsula, which was launched since the beginning of the year by sending its Vice President Mike Pence to the opening ceremony.
Pyongyang is participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea by sending its top legislator and hundreds of athletes, artists, cheerleaders and traditional sports demonstrators to the event.
