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통일 미래 길잡이/외국인대학생기자단

A unification through sport

North and South Korean gymnasts posed for an Olympic selfie together few days ago at Rio Olympics 2016. North Korean athlete Hong Un-jung(26) and  South Korean athlete Lee Eun-ju(17) showed brief moment of unification through on single smiling selfie.  The selfie gone viral and there is some positive views as well as negative ones. 

“That’s why we do Olympics” tweeted political scientist Ian Bremmer. His tweet retweeted more than 18000 times. The sport brings everyone together another user said. However many people worried about her security when she go back to the North Korea again.  The two countries never signed a peace treaty since Korean war, meaning the two countries still at war technically. ” She is mostly unlikely to be punished upon her return” Micheal Madden, north Korean analysts and sports fan, said. North Korea encouraged “sport diplomacy” as matter of national policy since 1980s. The successful candidates of international sport competitions receive warm welcome and furnished house upon their arrival. Some even claim that their popularity among the people is too much to handle. However, it is believed that unsuccessful candidates receive heavy criticism. For example, Om Yun-chong, the North Korean weight lifter won golden medal from London and silver from Rio in the men’s 56 kilogram. But the reaction earlier this week of Om, the weight lifter, suggests that second is not good enough. He won silver in Rio on Sunday, failing to successfully defend his title, and the high-ranking official who flew in from Pyongyang for the Olympics did not bother to attend his medal ceremony. 

“I don’t think I can be a hero to my people with a silver medal,” a dejected Om told to the reporters.To sum up, many people speculate that she might not be safe back in North Korea not because she posed a photo with an enemy but she went home empty-handed. 

  

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