North Korea may have captivated the world with its “charm offensive” at the Winter Olympics but "few south of the border are convinced," according to Harris & Song of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Global audiences have been "bombarded" with coverage of the North's presence at the Games. Suggestions that Pyongyang has "scored a diplomatic victory," however, are "prompting anguish" among South Koreans, many of whom harbor "deep reservations" about engaging with a nation that regularly threatens to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire.” Former Korea Institute for National Unification President Kim Tae-woo said, "People are very skeptical about the North's charm offensive, as well as the South Korean government's attempt to continue dialogue." Kim Jong-un on Tuesday continued his regime's PR campaign, saying that it was important to "boost the warm climate of reconciliation" between the two Koreas. Businessman Choi Won-eung, 64, said, "The intention of the charm offensive is not innocent. It all just looks like political propaganda to me." Korea Institute of Defense Analyses research fellow Kim Chul-woo, referring to the financial support Seoul has given Pyongyang to attend the Games, said, "Young South Koreans are not impressed with North Korea coming to the Olympics with their forks and spoons in hand" (FT, 2/13).
If this is what they want to show the world, think about how backward the rest of the people are.
Han Sun-woo
South Korean hockey spectator
South Korea counters the North "charm offensive" with its own cheerleaders.getty images
FACE-TO-FACE: In London, Benjamin Haas wrote as they found their seats for the preliminary game between Sweden and the Unified Korean women's hockey team, South Koreans "peppered the Northern cheerleaders with questions, but the all-female squad only responded with tight-lipped smiles." It was the first time many South Koreans had "come face-to-face with their neighbours." But for the two sides, the meeting "was a sign of how far they have grown apart" after 65 years of division since the Korean war. Han Sun-woo, 25, who was "sandwiched" between two groups of North Korean cheerleaders, said, "They're very old-fashioned. I never experienced the 70s, but I imagine it was like that. I feel bad for them. If this is what they want to show the world, think about how backward the rest of the people are." At the end of each row, older male minders "sat still for the entire game," a reminder that "despite appearances, these women were also prisoners of one of the most brutal regimes in the world." For all the attention they commanded, the North Koreans "were not the only cheering squad on hand." In "stark contrast" to the tracksuited women from the North, four South Korean dancers also performed -- "dressed in cropped white T-shirts and pink hot pants while waving pom-poms" -- highlighting the "cultural chasm" that separates the two countries. The North Koreans "refused to acknowledge their fellow performers" (GUARDIAN, 2/12).
FINAL DECISION: EUROSPORT reported IOC President Thomas Bach revealed the agreement by the North and South Korean officials to allow their athletes to march together under the Unified flag was "made just four hours before the Opening Ceremony began." Bach: "That's a great moment and even when I see it now again it still gives me goosebumps and great emotions. Because this is the Olympic message as it should be. ... This is our mission." He added, "To tell you a little secret, the final decision about the joint march was taken just four hours before the ceremony actually started at 4pm in the afternoon. So you can get an impression of what happened there behind the scenes" (EUROSPORT, 2/13).
