North Korea says will not participate in Tokyo Olympics due to pandemic

North Korea on Tuesday made an abrupt announcement that it will not send a team to this summer's Tokyo Olympics in order to protect its athletes during the novel coronavirus pandemic, becoming the first nation to formally pull out of the delayed games.The decision, which may make it more difficult for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to lay a foundation for talks about a long-standing abduction issue between the countries, was made during a North Korean Olympic committee session in Pyongyang last month.Concern is mounting in Japan that other nations could follow suit, citing the outbr…READ FULL ARTICLE