South Koreans are hardly unanimous in their opinions about the unified Korean Olympic team and the temporary rapprochement with the North.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, before Friday night's opening ceremony.GETTY IMAGES
Some protested outside the opening ceremony on Friday, believing Kim Jong-un cannot be trusted and is just papering over his nuclear aggression. During the weekend, my tour guide Cindy told me she was upset with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for welcoming such a large contingent from the North, including Kim’s sister.
It’s not that she is opposed to attempts at unification, but that the North stole the South’s thunder. “In the days before the Olympics, all the news was about Kim, not South Korea,” she said. “This is supposed to be our Games.”
“I was so angry,” she continued. “Even though I am a fan of Mr. Moon, I felt that was very not right.”
She’s right about the South Korean’s moment on the world stage being taken over by the Kim dictatorship. News coverage in Pyeongchang focused on the legitimate rarity of seeing Northerners traveling in the South, and sister Kim Yo-jong is “stealing the show,” according to CNN.
