According to Time magazine, the Olympic games have been historically protected by a truce since the ninth century B.C. and are history’s earliest attempt at separating sports from politics. The Olympic role as a peacemaker is currently very obvious in this year’s Olympic games. Not only is this the first Winter Olympics that North Korea has participated in since its eight-year hiatus from the games, but also the officially warring nations (North and South Korea) decided to march in unification and created a joint team for women’s ice hockey. North Korea has sent a 140-member orchestra, a cheering squad and 22 athletes to compete. If it wasn’t any more obvious that the countries are attempting to make peace during these Olympics, the South allowed the northern athletes to access the games by the Demilitarized Zone, a small area about a mile in either direction of the Korean border which was created in 1951 for peace talks, usually cut off from transportation. A visit from the sister of Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, to the president of the South Korean nation is also an incredible show of peacemaking as it is the first visit from a member of North Korea’s ruling family since the 1950s. She even extended the South Korean president an invitation to visit her brother in North Korea.
Courtesy: The Daily Express
The United States’ reaction to the diplomacy shown by the two nations is one of distrust, seen through the actions of Vice President Mike Pence. According to Business Insider and the New York Times, Vice President Pence voluntarily shared a viewing box with Kim Yo Jong yet did not shake her hand, nor did he stand when the unified Korean team entered the stadium. In addition, Vice President Pence did not appear at a dinner that South Korean President Moon hosted before the opening ceremony, indicating that he is avoiding spending much time with the Korean delegation. Analysts of Korean affairs indicate that V.P. Pence may have missed a crucial opportunity to further the de-nuclearization of North Korea because he did not show respect for a unified Korea. In addition, because he did not stand, he also risks losing the respect of his host, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, as well as making it look like the United States is straying from its ally and actively undermining efforts for inter-Korean relations.
The United States also attempted to display its stance toward Korean unification by combating the positive propaganda of North Korea. Thus far, North Korea has used the prestige, grace and charm of Kim Yo Jong to its advantage, causing an uproar in media outlets and stealing the attention away from not only from South Korea’s honor to host the Olympics, but also from the negative press topics on North Korea that have recently caught headlines. North Korea has also used its 230-member cheer squad in much the same way, displaying the nation’s incredible power derived from discipline. The United States’ response was to invite the father of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was jailed in North Korea that died upon his return to the U.S. last year after suffering extensive brain damage, to attend the games with Vice President Mike Pence.
Courtesy: CBT9 News
Courtesy: The Daily Mail
These political powers have made this Olympic games one in which the participating nations are just as interesting to follow as the athletes representing them.