North Korea has withdrawn from the third round of the Olympic women’s qualifying tournament in South Korea next month, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially confirmed.
insidethegames had revealed earlier this week that North Korea were on the verge of pulling out.
The tournament, featuring two groups of four, is due to take place on Jeju Island between February 3 and 9.
“The AFC can confirm that DPR Korea Football Association sent an official letter to withdraw from the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2020 Asian Qualifiers Final Round,” the continent’s governing body said in a statement.
Neither North Korea or the AFC gave a reason for the withdrawal.
But relations between the North and South Korea have deteriorated since the HANOI SUMMIT last February between North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump ended without a deal on denuclearisation.
North Korea are not expected to be replaced in the tournament.
North Korea’s women’s football team competed at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 but will miss Tokyo 2020 after withdrawing from the AFC Women’s
Olympic Qualifying Tournament in South Korea
North Korea were due to face South Korea in Group A, which also includes Vietnam and Myanmar.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Earlier this month, hopes for a joint North-South Korean FIFA Women’s World Cup ended after South Korea withdrew its bid for the 2023 event just hours before the deadline.
The Korea Football Association claimed strained inter-Korean relations meant a unified bid was not possible.
