Alfons Hörmann would "understand" if German athletes did not want to compete at Pyeongchang 2018 due to security fears ©Getty Images

Alfons Hörmann, the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), has claimed he would understand if his country's athletes did not want to compete at Pyeongchang 2018 amid security concerns in South Korea.

Tensions have continued to rise in the region, following a series of missile tests by North Korea in recent months.

Matters have been escalated further by the increasing rhetoric between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim has warned that North Korea would consider the "highest level of hard-line countermeasures in history" against America in response to Trump’s threat to destroy them.

"Of course, nobody is forced or contractually obliged to start in Pyeongchang," Hörmann said in an interview with Stuttgarter Zeitung.

"People think and feel very different.

"If athletes decide not to arrive because they do not feel safe or comfortable enough, then I would have understood of course.

"We will, with all the joy of the Winter Games, put safety first.

"If at any time a risk scenario arises, where we feel that it is unreasonable or too dangerous and therefore not responsible, then we all know what we have to do."

Tensions are extremely high in the region, following a series of missile tests by North Korea ©Getty Images
Tensions are extremely high in the region, following a series of missile tests by North Korea ©Getty Images

French Sports Minister Laura Flessel warned her country could miss next year's Games because of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Flessel claimed last month that if the crisis deepened and "our security cannot be assured, the French Olympics team will stay at home".

Denis Masseglia, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee President, distanced himself from Flessel by claiming that they have no plans to miss the Games.

The United States Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun also issued a statement confirming their preparations are continuing for the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have stated they are closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula and have been in close contact with Governments and the United Nations (UN) over recent months.

The UN are currently finalising an "Olympic Truce" resolution due for approval at a General Assembly in November.