The North Korean government announced on Friday that it would not participate as a country in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and political disagreements with other attendees, which it accused of acting as “hostile forces.”

The statement is largely irrelevant to North Korea’s participation in the Olympics, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had already banned the country for its abrupt withdrawal from the Tokyo Summer Games due to COVID-19 fears.

IOC President Thomas Bach indicated that individual athletes from North Korea could still participate in the games if they could qualify, and would march under a different flag. So far, however, no North Korean athletes have independently qualified.

The upcoming Olympics will open on February 4. They have been the point of controversy between China and the West, and human rights activists have argued that it is inappropriate to attend them in light of China’s abusive practices toward its Uyghur ethnic minority in its Xinjiang province.

Some Western countries, including the United States, have announced a “diplomatic boycott” of the games in response to these charges. Other countries, however, have doubled down on their attendance, including President Vladimir Putin of Russia in a sign probably intended to reinforce the importance of close Sino-Russian ties.

North Korean state media also claimed on Friday that it had informed the Chinese Olympic Committee that it would not come, blaming its absence on the “hostile forces’ moves and the worldwide pandemic.” Who these “hostile forces” are was not explained, but it could refer to the United States and South Korea, or even to the IOC itself due to its prior ban. “We … fully support the Chinese comrades in all their work to hold [a] splendid and wonderful Olympic festival,” the statement continued.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry made it known that the North Korean contingent would be missed. “Throughout China’s preparation for the Beijing Games, the DPRK has been providing us [with] positive support,” said ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, using a contraction of the North Korean government’s full name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The DPRK reaffirmed its support and solidarity with China in hosting a grand Olympic Games on January 5, and we appreciate that,” Wang continued.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.