The government pledged to seek out sports exchanges with North Korea despite the country being unable to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

A Unification Ministry official said on Thursday that Seoul remains committed to seeking opportunities for inter-Korean peace through global sport events.

Earlier this week, the International Olympic Committee(IOC) suspended North Korea's National Olympic Committee(NOC) until the end of 2022 for the unilateral decision not to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Games over COVID-19 concerns.

Because of the suspension, North Korean athletes will not be able to compete in next year's Beijing Olympics as a national team.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the North's NOC will also not receive financial support during the suspension.

The IOC, however, left open the chance for individual North Korean athletes to compete in the Beijing Games, saying it would make the decision should any qualify.