Faced with mounting criticism over the government’s handling of North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the media and political parties to support the government in related matters.

“(North Korea’s participation) in itself, and the inter-Korean talks for this end, have great significance,” Moon said at Monday’s meeting with senior aides, adding the talks have come at a time when inter-Korean relations “have deteriorated to the worst state since the Korean War.”

Saying that South Korea will face much tougher security and diplomatic difficulties should the country fail to engage North Korea on a wider range of issues, Moon said that PyeongChang Games have provided a “miraculous opportunity” for inter-Korean relations.

“Inter-Korean talks must lead to dialogue between the US and North Korea, and be developed into diverse dialogue. That is the way to resolve North Korean nuclear issue peacefully, and maintain prosperity on the peninsula,” Moon said, and called for the support of the media and political parties.

Moon’s comments came a day after his chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan issued a statement reiterating the administration’s hopes to engage North Korea.

Pyongyang, however, has made it clear from early on that it has no intention of discussing denuclearization. Ri Son-gwon, Pyongyang’s chief delegate at the Jan. 9 talks, expressed displeasure at related South Korean media reports, and stated at the time that North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs were “not an issue between South and North Korea.”

Yoon’s statement also made mention of US President Donald Trump on two occasions, in an apparent attempt to address concerns about possible Seoul-Washington discord in related matters.

Referring to recent Moon-Trump telephone conversations, Yoon said that Trump’s expression of support for inter-Korean talks could be interpreted as the US leader backing Moon’s intentions to use the opportunity to resolve security issues on the peninsula.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Jan. 4 and Jan. 10. During the earlier conversation, Trump reportedly said that he supports inter-Korean talks “100 percent,” and that the US would not take any military actions during the games in the later conversation.

Yoon’s address Sunday appears to have achieved little in the way of easing fears raised by the conservative bloc.

Hong Joon-pyo, leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, accused the government of placing the fate of the country in the hands of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying that pro-North Korean figures had taken over the government.

“(The administration) is being dragged around by Kim Jong-un’s false peace offensive and political show, turning the PyeongChang Olympics into the Pyongyang Olympics when completion of North Korean missile and nuclear programs is projected within three months,” Hong said at his New Year’s press conference Monday.

Critics of Seoul’s efforts to bring North Korea to PyeongChang have taken to calling the Winter Games the “Pyongyang Olympics” on claims the games will only aid North Korea’s propaganda.

The level of protection and courtesy provided to North Korea’s delegation is also raising eyebrows.

The North Korean delegation -- a seven-member group led by the head of the Samjiyon Orchestra Hyon Song-wol -- inspected possible venues for performances by North Korean artists in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and Seoul on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

The delegation was provided with heavy police protection in both Seoul and Gangneung. In the process, South Korean officials were observed treating the North Korean delegation with unusual courtesy.

A South Korean government official is said to have pushed aside a local journalist Sunday, cutting off questions directed at Hyon and saying she was “feeling uncomfortable” by the questions.

Later in the day, a local official was heard joking with Hyon in Gangneung that had North Korea informed the South of the delegation’s visit, a larger venue would have been built.

According to reports, Hyon was inspecting a gymnasium at the time and had expressed dissatisfaction with its limited capacity.

The banter has been taken by some here as being overly concerned with pleasing the North Korean delegation.

Such minor developments aside, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification has yet to receive any explanation regarding delays in the North Korean delegation’s arrival in the South, adding fuel to views that Pyongyang has the upper hand. Hyon’s team was originally scheduled to arrive here Saturday, but North Korea unilaterally called off the plan, only to dispatch officials the following day.

Some have taken protests further.

Led by Rep. Cho Won-jin of the one-seat Patriotic Party of Korea, a band of right-wing demonstrators gathered at Seoul Station on Monday to protest North Korea’s involvement in the games.

The Patriotic Party of Korea was formed by Cho in protest of mainstream conservatives’ inaction in developments surrounding former President Park Geun-hye. Cho, the party’s only lawmaker and its chairman, claims Park was framed and rejects the legitimacy of the Moon Jae-in administration.

“The patriotic citizens of South Korea oppose the Pyongyang Winter Olympics that promote the North Korean regime,” Cho said at the rally.

Cho and his supporters also set fire to a North Korean flag and an enlarged photograph of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The fire was immediately extinguished by police officers.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)