The world came together in anticipation of the 23rd Winter Olympics currently taking place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In Olympic Games of the past, fans have expressed excitement regarding specific events, favorite athletes, and even the designs and fashions presented in the opening ceremony. News headlines to do with this year’s Winter Olympics include the participation of Russian athletes competing under the Olympic rather than the Russian flag as a result of a doping scandal; the first Nigerian women’s bobsled team; and the promise of American gold-medal favorites Nathan Chen (ice skating) and Chloe Kim (snowboarding). However, the games’ location in South Korea has dominated 2018 Olympic conversations, as the location in Pyeongchang has stirred apprehension regarding the country’s relationship with its neighbor North Korea, as well as the role the United States will play in their geopolitical standoff.
South Korea and the IOC Executive Board extended an invitation to North Korea to participate in the games in an attempt at making peace. North Korea accepted and was actively involved in the opening ceremony, which took place on Feb. 9. North Korea sent 22 athletes, along with several artistic performers and celebrated pop stars, to the Games—despite concerns that North Korea’s involvement in the Winter Olympics would violate international sanctions. However, South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in believes the Games to be vital in his effort to communicate with North Korea, to persuade the country into negotiations, and to put the North’s nuclear missile program to rest. Moon stated: “Many considered it an impossible dream to have an Olympics of peace, in which North Korea would participate and the two Koreas would form a joint team.” This dream was made a reality during the opening ceremony in which North and South Korea entered the Games as one team: Korea.
An image rests in the world’s eyes of the penultimate torch bearers, North Korean Chung Su-hyon and South Korean Park Jong-ah, as representatives of the unified Korean hockey team. The athletes carried the torch up the final steps and handed it off to the dearly loved South Korean figure skater, Yuna Kim, who won a gold medal in the 2010 Games and a silver in the 2014 Games.
While Moon is optimistic about the unification of the nations for the Games, some Koreans remain hesitant about the presence of North Korea. The director of the opening ceremony, Song Seung-whan, expressed his disapproval of the president’s confidence in his effort to mend the relationship between the two nations. Song stated, “The crisis on the Korean Peninsula does not get resolved with a one-off event like sports games or an inter-Korean summit meeting.”
While Song is apprehensive, others believe the Games symbolize hope. Kim Tae-yoon, a media studies student from Cheonan, South Korea states, “I wondered whether any of our efforts would be a step towards unification when we could very well just be used for North Korean propaganda.” Kim continued,“But the two Koreas marching together looked good. I hope that the Pyeongchang Olympics will be remembered as one where we showed the world that we communicated well with North Korea.”
A particularly surprising part of North Korea’s involvement in the Games was the appearance of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo Jong, along with Senior North Korean officials, embarked on a three-day trip that included a meeting with Moon. The trip represented the highest level of contact between the two Koreas in more than a decade, as Kim Yo Jong is the first immediate member of North Korea’s ruling family to touch down on South Korean soil since the 1950-53 Korean War. On the Friday of the opening ceremony, Kim Yo Jong met foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This allowed for the possibility of unprecedented diplomatic encounters between North Korea and the leaders of enemy countries.
Despite South Korea’s movement for peace, Mike Pence stated that his visit was an effort to counter North Korea’s propaganda and highlight its abuses and atrocities to the world. Whether Kim Yo Jong’s appearance was a message sent from Kim Jong Un to the president of the South is unclear. However, Moon has expressed that he would be willing to meet with Kim Jong Un if he were assured that this meeting would lead to an end of the crisis regarding nuclear weapons and missile development program. Time will tell, but for now, let the Games unfold and much luck to the athletes representing the United States of America.
Don’t be naive. There is no chance for peace when there is a power struggle. No sports will end the fight and struggle unless both parties felt fair. There is a reason why US and China Ping Pong diplomacy worked. Ask the experts who is NOT exploiting the situation.