The failure to co-host the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics: a diplomacy “of small steps” influenced by international opinion (1985–88)

ABSTRACT

In the wider context of the Cold War in the 1980s, a rare exception was a proposal for the potential co-hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics between Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea). While diplomatic exchanges between the two countries in other areas had produced inconclusive results, a series of joint meetings were organised by the International Olympic Committee to facilitate North Korean participation in the Games while preventing any action that might undermine the Games’ organisation. This historical analysis of these tripartite meetings aims to reconsider the frequently essentialist position of North Korea as a ‘Games saboteur’. While the talks ultimately proved to be a failure, they did have an effect on sports diplomacy. The threat of a massive boycott by the socialist countries, which did not occur in the end, and the progress of the negotiations show that there can be compromises to the host city principle enshrined in the IOC Olympic Charter.

Keywords:

• Olympic games
• Seoul
• Korean
• diplomacy
• small steps
• international opinion

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the University of Lyon 1 for funding this study, the Olympic Study Centre in Lausanne for their warm welcome and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Saint-Etienne for their support for the translation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. ‘The negotiations were a strategy designed to lead an attribution of eventual blame, not a means for ensuring that an agreement would be reached. Nobody thought an agreement would be reached, except, perhaps, the South, which feared that through some miscalculation the parties might find themselves faced with the existence of an agreement despite the efforts not to do so’ (Pound 1994, pp. 325–26).

2. Minutes of the meeting of the IOC Session, Baden-Baden, Sep 29 to Oct 2, 1981, IOC Archives.

3. Kim Y. S. to Samaranch J. A., 1984. Dec 18. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA.

4. Jung, D. (Reuters), 1985. North and South Koreans try to settle differences on Olympics. October 7.

5. Associated Press, 1985. North Korea says South using Olympics for political purposes. October 7.

6. Minutes of the IOC Executive Board meeting, Calgary, 1985. Feb 25–28, 5.

7. Remarks of the IOC President, Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting, Lisbon, 1985. October 15 and 18, 14.

8. Remarks of the IOC President, Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting, Lisbon, 1985. Oct 15 and 18, 14.

9. Agence France-Presse, 1985. ‘Discussion dans l’impasse entre les deux Corées’. Oct 8.

10. Jung, D. (Reuters), 1985. North Korea insists on 50–50 split of 1988 Olympics. Oct 8.

11. The proposal of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chairman, Kim Yu Sun to Juan Antonio Samaranch, 1985. Sept 30, received Nov 4. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA, 1.

12. Naef, A., 1985. Faut-il partager les JO de Séoul?. La Tribune de Genève, Oct 8, 1; Report by Kumar A., IOC Vice-President, on his trip to North Korea, 1985. July. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

13. Jung, D. (Reuters), 1985. North and South Koreans try to settle differences on Olympics. Oct 7.

14. Draft letter sent to each of the NOCs of the two Koreas, 1985. Oct 22. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA; Minutes of the first joint meeting, 1985. Oct 8–9. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

15. Agence France-Presse, 1985. Discussion dans l’impasse entre les deux Corées, Oct 8.

16. Auchlin, P., 1985. Négocier pour éviter un boycott. La Tribune de Genève, Oct 8, unpaginated.

17. Kim C.-H., 1985. Minutes of the first joint meeting. Oct 8–9. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

18. Kim C.-H., 1985. Minutes of the first joint meeting. Oct 8–9. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

19. Kim C.-H. to Samaranch J. A., 1985. Oct 30. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA.

20. Miller, D., 1985. Sports commentary. The Times, Oct 9, 27; Kim Y. S., 1985. Minutes of the first joint meeting. 1985. Oct 8–9. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

21. This and the information in the following paragraph is from Miller, D., 1985. Sports commentary. The Times, Oct 9, 26–27.

22. Miller, D., 1985. Sports commentary. The Times, Oct 10, 26; Samaranch, J. A., 1986. Minutes of the second joint meeting. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA, 17.

23. Auchlin, P., 1985. Les tigres étaient des chats. La Tribune de Genève, Oct 10, 5.

24. Anonymous work (Anon). 1985. Les deux Corées: pas d’union olympique. L’Equipe, October 10, 9.

25. Remarks of the IOC President. 1985. Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting, Lisbon. Oct 15 and 18, 14.

26. Anon., 1986. “Jeux olympiques de Séoul: le Nord et le Sud collaborent. La Tribune de Genève, Jun 12, 45; Parienté, R., 1986. Eclaircie (Edito). L’Equipe, Jun 12, 1.

27. Rodda, J., 1986. Gap ‘closing’ on N. Korea deal. The Guardian, Jun 11, 29.

28. Stupp H. M. to Samaranch J. A., 1985. Oct 10. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA.

29. Breiter, R., 1985. Compromis renvoyé. Le Matin (Lausanne), Oct 10, 27

30. Martin, P.-R., councilor in Lausanne, 1985. Minutes of the first joint meeting. Oct 8–9. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA, 1.

31. Anon., 1985. Les deux Corées: pas d’union olympique. L’Equipe, Oct 10, 9.

32. Minutes of the second joint meeting, 1986. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA.

33. Minutes of the second joint meeting, 1986. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA, 13–14 and 23.

34. Draft letter to the NOCs of the two Koreas, 1985. Oct 22. C-J01-1988/194, IOCA.

35. Minutes of a discussion between the President and a delegation of the NOC of the Republic of Korea, Lausanne, 1985. Oct 7. C-J01-1988/195, IOCA.

36. Minutes of the second joint meeting, 1986. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA.

37. IOC press release. 1986. Jan 9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA; Minutes of the second joint meeting, 1986. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA.

38. Minutes of the second joint meeting, 1986. Jan 8–9. C-J01-1988/196, IOCA, 14.

39. At one point, fencing was mentioned instead of archery. It should be noted that we have not mentioned all the negotiations on the events or sports that only give rather descriptive information on the subject; Agence France-Presse, 1986. Jeux de Séoul 1988. La Corée du Nord pourrait organiser le tennis de table et le tir à l’arc. Jun 11; Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. Jun 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 9–10 and 15.

40. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. June 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 4.

41. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. June 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 4 and 10.

42. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. June 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 4 and 16.

43. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. June 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 13.

44. These articles outline the host city principle, Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. Jun 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 8.

45. Weeks, S. (Reuters), 1986. North Korea has until month-end to decide on Olympic deal. Jun 12.

46. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. Jun 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 14.

47. Minutes of the third joint meeting, 1986. Jun 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA, 14.

48. Reuters, 1986. No final word on Korean responses to Olympic compromise plan. Jun 30; Butler, S. B., 1986. Olympic offer puts N. Korea at crossroads. The Financial Times, Jun 28, 3.

49. Anon., 1986. Two Koreas leave room to manoeuvre. The Guardian, Jun 12; Associated Press, 1986. North Korea says it’s fully equipped to stage Olympics. Jun 16.

50. Miller, D., 1985. Sports commentary. The Times, Oct 9, 27.

51. The two proposed sports were archery and table tennis, and the events were women’s volleyball, a group of soccer events, the individual cycling road race (men), Annex 5, Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 3; Associated Press, 1986. IOC co-hosting plan stalled for the moment. Jul 2.

52. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 19.

53. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 11.

54. Summary of the situation: negotiations between the two Korean NOCs, 1986. Oct 10–11. C-J01-1988/197, IOCA.

55. Associated Press, 1986. IOC co-hosting plan stalled for the moment. Jul 2.

56. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 11.

57. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 11.

58. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 13.

59. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting. 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 3.

60. Press release from the President of North Korea’s Olympic Committee. Undated, probably late 1987. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 1.

61. Information letter no. 22 from Samaranch J. A. to IOC members and honorary members, 1987. Dec 16; C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 1.

62. Press release from North Korea’s President of the Olympic Committee, undated, probably late 1987. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 2.

63. Press release from North Korea’s President of the Olympic Committee, undated, probably late 1987. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 2.

64. Note from South Korean NOC, 1987. Oct 15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA.

65. Note from South Korean NOC, 1987. Oct 15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA.

66. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 8.

67. Minutes of the fourth joint meeting, 1987. Jul 14–15. C-J01-1988/198, IOCA, 15.

68. La Corée du Sud officialise sa volonté d’organiser les JO de 2032 avec la Corée du Nord. L’Equipe. Available from: https://www.lequipe.fr/Tous-sports/Actualites/La-coree-du-sud-officialise-sa-volonte-d-organiser-les-jo-de-2032-avec-la-coree-du-nord/1238347 [Accessed 11 May 2022].