North Korea will compete in 14 events: soccer, swimming,
archery, track and field, boxing, shooting, table tennis, weightlifting, and
wrestling. The nation has sent 150 athletes with aspirations to rank in the top 10 for the first time in 12
years. Absent from the delegation is the variegated cheering squad, for which
the nation drew much attention during previous Asian Games.
During high-level talks between the Koreas in July, the
North revealed its intentions to send a cheering squad comprised of 350 members
on its ferry, Mangyongbong, but retracted this on the 28th of last month,
citing the South’s hostility during discussion over the matter as justification
for the decision.
Despite this, as previously reported by Daily NK, the cheering squad remained
united and waiting in Pyongyang, leading to speculation that they would still
appear at the Games. Moreover, at the beginning of this month, Kim Jong Eun
ordered a fresh coat of paint to be applied to the Mangyongbong ferry, providing reason
for assumptions that the group be dispatched to the South imminently.
Members of the the current squad were selected from a
variety of organizations in regions throughout North Korea–a notable change
from the past, where recruitment
was restricted to females from Pyongyang’s Geumseong Hakwon, Pyongyang
University of Music and Dance, and other institutions in the art sector within
the capital. This round, however, required a minimum age of 23 and height of
160 cm as prerequisites for eligibility.
Since the breakdown of the talks in July, South Korea has
reiterated and maintained its position not to initiate discussion on the
matter, waiting for the North to take steps to resolve the related problems. The main sticking points in the discussion revolved around the scale of the squad and which side would be bear the cost of hosting it. But the opening ceremony for the
Games is today, and the cheering squad is still in the North; thus, the issue
seems to have come to a close.
A source in Pyongyang reported to Daily NK on September
19th, “The exact date cannot be confirmed, but until last week they [the
cheering squad] had been waiting in Pyongyang for quite some time.” Rumors,
purportedly spread by the North Korean authorities, asserted that the South
would not admit the cheering squad into the country for the Games. This
continued, he said, until suddenly “their training came to a halt, and we heard
that they had all been sent back to their respective homes,” which is estimated
to have occurred at the beginning of this week.
“The members were recruited from art institutions from each
province so it’s not that hard to turn around and send them right back,” he
explained. “Because they didn’t go to South Korea, they didn’t engage in any
sort of real education; all they’ve been educated in is that South Korean fears
are to blame for the reason they couldn’t attend the Games.”
A source in Dandong, China verified the outlook, stating,
“Sending athletes [to the competition] is an agreement between numerous
international organizations, so it’s natural for it to go forward, but cheering
squad matters are tied up with political issues between the two Koreas.”
She went on, “North Korea said they wouldn’t send the squad,
so now they have no choice but to disband the group.” Expectations that South
Korea would eventually capitulate and ask them to send the squad [regardless of
budgetary sticking points] prompted the North Korean authorities to keep the
squad waiting and on call in Pyongyang as to how to proceed, she explained,
“But the South said nothing, and the North can’t bring a group that size to the
Games because of the economic burden, so they’re going to have to give it up.”
As the authorities waffled on the issue, in a cycle of
announcements and subsequent recants over the squad’s participation in the
competition, residents were quick to criticize the behavior.
A source in North Hamgyung Province said, “The authorities
have an unjustified stubborn streak; most would agree, if you organize a
cheering squad, then you need to send it.” All the money and effort that went
into the training and recruitment efforts seems to be for naught, she
elaborated, expressing the extreme disappointment most residents felt when
faced with the anticlimactic conclusion.
“Regardless of whether these households [from which the
girls were recruited] were affluent or not, they scraped money together to give
their daughters a chance to go–and this is the outcome? It’s a shame,” she
concluded.
