Seoul — South Korea promised on Tuesday that the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang would be safe after some nations suggested they may skip the event if tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions worsen. The Pyeongchang Winter Games will be held from February 9 to 25 just 80km from the heavily guarded border with the nuclear-armed North. French and Austrian officials last week raised the prospect of not sending athletes as US and North Korean leaders intensified their war of words. Seoul’s foreign ministry played down the security fears, saying it is working through diplomatic channels to re-assure the participants. "The South Korean government is doing its utmost to ensure the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be safe," said ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-Duk. "As of now, no country has officially said it will not participate." Tensions have soared following Pyongyang’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, which triggered a heated volley of thre...
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