North Korean Athletes May Face Punishment For Viral Moment At The 2024 Olympics
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 concluded on August 11. One of the highlights during the Olympics was the North Korean athletes, as they experienced certain freedoms they otherwise wouldn’t have, or so it seemed.
During the Olympics, all athletes were given Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 Olympic Edition, except for the North Korean athletes, as it would violate the UN sanctions against the country over its nuclear and missile program. The medal-winning athletes took “victory selfies” with these phones.
North Korean team atheletes have not received Olympic sponsor Samsung’s smartphones that were given free to all athletes at the Paris Olympics 2024 Games.
South Korean officials said giving Samsung smartphones to North Korean athletes would violate U.N Security Council sanctions pic.twitter.com/kF5gx8O312
— Playerzo2 (@Playerzo2) August 9, 2024
Photos and videos of the North Korean athletes posing for selfies with South Korean and Chinese athletes went viral on social media. It became a historic moment, as no one saw it coming, considering the tensions between the countries.
The South Korean dude took the selfie. The Chinese lady suggested a different angle. The North Korean champs smiled.
We can absolutely coexist peacefully in our region without constant interference from the US sowing division between us. pic.twitter.com/ImmGbq2Bk7
— 凯王 Kai Wong (@Kai_Wong_CN) July 30, 2024
@metrouk Athletes from North Korea and South Korea took a selfie together after competing alongside each other in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Olympics. North Korea won a silver medal, while South Korea picked up bronze. South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon was the one that took out his phone to take the selfie, in a rare act of cross-border unity amid rising tensions between the two countries. #fy #fyp #northkorea #northkorea🇰🇵 #korea #southkorea #southkorea🇰🇷 #kimjongun #olympics #olympics2024 #paris2024 #tabletennis #pingpong
@wangnews #northkorea #athlete pass the mobile phone to #china athletes for selfie on the #podium #Olympics
Yet, it caused concern, and netizens worried that the North Korean athletes could face punishment despite winning two silver medals and four bronze.
On August 21, a high-level source in Pyongyang reported via Daily NK that the North Korean Olympic Committee delegation and athletes are “undergoing ideological evaluations since their return on August 15.” Any athlete who competed in an international event is subjected to “a three-stage ideological assessment process lasting about a month, involving the Central Party, the Ministry of Sports, and an internal review.” It’s to ensure that the North Koreans were not “contaminated” by a “non-socialist culture.” This assessment is led by the Central Party, scrutinizing the athletes’ conduct and behavior since their return. If anything raises eyebrows, the athletes “could face disciplinary actions.”
The assessment begins the moment athletes return, with the goal of ‘cleansing’ their thoughts as quickly as possible.
— The Daily NK source
Ahead of departing for the Olympics, North Korean athletes were reportedly specially instructed not to interact with foreign athletes, including South Koreans. So, it’s unfortunate but likely that Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, who won silver in mixed doubles table tennis, could face punishments for taking a selfie with South Korea’s bronze medalists, Lim Jong Hoon and Shin Yu Bin, and China’s gold medalists, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha. The criticism stems from the fact that the North Korean athletes smiled next to the South Korean athletes, who are considered adversaries by authorities. Reportedly, Kim Kum Yong smiled for the selfie, and Ri Jong Sik “smiled” while observing other countries’ athletes.
It’s not confirmed whether the North Korean athletes will be punished for these actions. The authorities might impose penalties or enforce self-reflection.
If they interacted with athletes from other countries, they must strongly reflect on their actions to avoid potential political or administrative punishment.
— The Daily NK source
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