In South Korea these days people are almost more interested in the enemy than in themselves: “North Korea has started sending its athletes to China so that they can take part in the Asian Games in Hangzhou,”
The TV station Arirang reported on Monday. The Asian Games, a kind of Olympic Games for Asia, started this weekend in the Chinese metropolis of Hangzhou. And the biggest headlines in advance are not caused by host China or the consistently strong nations of Japan and South Korea.
North Korea has been back for a long time
This time all eyes are on the delegation from North Korea: the isolated dictatorship sent 191 athletes to China. It is the first time that athletes from North Korea have competed abroad since the start of the pandemic.
And the return to the world stage of sport could be garnished with some medal wins. This is what Vladimir Tikhonov, Professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo, expects:
“North Korea has a very well-developed talent development system. In relation to the limited economic resources in the country, it is very generously equipped. However, it is probably the case that many competitions did not take place during the pandemic. The border closures with Russia and China also halted trade, which also resulted in a lack of important resources for equipment.”
Corona meant a crisis for North Korea’s sport
The pandemic is therefore likely to have maneuvered North Korea’s sport into a deep crisis. The participation of the economically weakened one-party state led by dictator Kim Jong-un could indicate that the athletes have had solid preparation. Because a poor performance by the athletes would be embarrassing:
“In North Korea they are presented as aides to the ‘Great Leader’, Kim Jong-un. This is also why basketball is important these days even though football is more popular among people. But the ‘Great Leader’ likes basketball. That’s why it’s encouraged.”
North Korea did not take part in the last two Olympic Games – Tokyo in the summer of 2021 and Beijing in the winter of 2022. Kim Jong-un also didn’t leave his country for a long time. But that’s different now.
Kim has just traveled to Russia to negotiate an arms deal with President Vladimir Putin. Now the next media-effective appearance is to follow – by the athletes at the Asian Games. The message: North Korea is back.
North Korea’s participation is causing excitement south of the inter-Korean border. North and South Korea have been at war since 1950, there is no direct exchange and relations are worse than they have been for a long time. While the North is constantly testing missiles, the South is conducting military maneuvers with the USA and Japan. In the Ukraine war, the North supports Russia, the South supports Ukraine.
Sport serves communication between North and South Korea
But over the decades, international sport has repeatedly served as a communication vehicle. The liberal MP Yoon Mee-hyang from South Korea hopes that there will be talks on the sidelines of the Asian Games this time too:
“I wish there could be a united team in 2023. Or mutual fans. But both governments would have to approach each other for something like this. But at least: Because the games are taking place in China, I have hope. North and South each have intensive contact with China. We could therefore establish renewed exchanges via China.”
However, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification and North Korea’s Foreign Ministry have already stated that no exchange should take place in China. On the other hand, the experience of inter-Korean relations shows that when people from North and South meet somewhere in the world, they often get along quite well.
Unofficial meetings between North and South are conceivable
Yoon Mee-hyang also reports this from experience: “I have had the opportunity to exchange ideas with representatives of North Korea several times in my life. We had great conversations and quickly became familiar with each other. But without meeting in person, rapprochement is impossible. The political division makes us so alien to each other!”
It cannot be ruled out that there will be encounters between people from North and South behind the scenes. And even if this does not result in any new discussions at government level:
Given the gloomy relations between North and South Korea, a mutual smile in the athletes’ village would be something special – which could then also make an impression at home.