On October 4th the Asian Games came to a close in the city of Incheon in South Korea. More notable than the games themselves is the North Korean team participating in the games. Though this is not unprecedented, in fact the North Koreans have participated in the games for many years, due to South Korea hosting the games it is being heralded as a monumental thawing of tensions between the two nations. This is not an uncommon trait in history as many nations have managed to ease tensions through sport, or at the very least managed a façade that convinced other nations that political tensions were absolved.
The Korean Peninsula is still currently residing in an armistice that has lasted over six decades with waxing and waning tensions of aggression. The question of North Korea has all but augmented with Kim Jong Un succeeding his father Kim Jong Il in 2011. With new leadership in place, North Korea has constantly been a focal point of journalism. Though news outlets prefer to speak of their nuclear weapons program and threats towards the United States, what is important to note is that North Korea is becoming more and more isolated in the international community. Now having faltering relations with Russia and China, North Korea is in need of creating ties with other nations. The most recent Asian Games have helped end a diplomatic deadlock between the two nations and helped pave way for further high-level talks in late October or early Novmeber.
Historically speaking, this is not unprecedented that a sporting event has helped ease tensions between two nations. We have seen this with America strengthening their ties with China through table tennis, Hitler showcasing the “splendour” of fascist Germany though the 1936 Munich Olympics, and Russia’s Boris Spassky and America’s Bobby Fischer at the chess tournament in Iceland in 1972. Sport has been a way for nations to be able to put aside their opposing diplomatic ideals to hold friendly competition.
Now we can hope that the positive attitude brought forth from the Asian Games will allow for the same trend as the examples above and allow for the relaxing of diplomatic tensions. This is not to say that the process will be quick, in fact it may still take several years, if not decades, for any headway to be made. However, one can always be optimistic. Choe Ryong of the North Korean sports chair has praised South Korea for their support of their athletes and has been quoted saying that he has high hopes that sports can be a forefront of affairs leading to reunification.
Though Choe may be a little lofty in his viewpoint, it is not to say that the Asian Games are not a factor in getting the ball rolling for diplomatic discussions. Sports are a simple unifying force that can aid in eroding the bad blood between the two nations, even if it is only for a short period of time. Only time will tell if the Asian Games acts as a precursor to the strengthening of ties between North and South Korea.