S.Koreans burn Kim Jong-un's photo over North's participation at Olympics

Demonstrators on Monday burned a photo of the North Korean leader during a rally in Seoul against North Korea's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang in South Korea.

The rally, at which the North Korean flag was also burned, was led by the far-right Korean Patriots Party in front of Seoul's central train station, according to Yonhap news agency, reports Efe.

The protesters chose the train station because a North Korean delegation visiting South Korea to coordinate the North's participation in the Games which begin on February 9 plans to arrive at the station from the eastern city of Gangneung.

Strong security measures have been put in place ahead of the group's visit.

The activists read a statement in which they denounced that the PyeongChang Winter Olympics were turning into "Kim Jong-un's Pyongyang Olympics" that they claim legitimise its nuclear weapons programme, before setting North's national flag and so-called unification flag on fire.

As well as agreeing on North Korea's participation at the PyeongChang Games, the two countries, which have been technically at war for more than 65 years, also decided to form a joint women's ice hockey team and agreed on a joint march at the opening ceremony with the unification flag.

--IANS

sam/sac