North Korean Olympic overture seen aimed at blunting international pressure

FILE PHOTO - A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After a year of making threats and weapons advances, North Korea's leader appears to be using the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in South Korea as a tool to blunt growing international pressure on Pyongyang while leaving his nuclear arsenal untouched.

Kim Jong Un, in his annual New Year's Day speech, called for reduced tensions on the Korean peninsula and flagged the North's possible participation in the Games next month, just across the border in Pyeongchang.