As the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games pass their midpoint, the North Korean athletes, cheer squad, arts troupe, and other participants continue to receive a significant amount of attention from the South Korean press.
But outside of North Korea’s participation in various performances and Olympic competitions, the activities of the group have remained challenging for the media to cover. Despite this, some are pointing out that the facial expressions and actions of the North Koreans at these Games appear to be more relaxed than during past trips abroad.
While athletes were known to ignore reporters’ questions with emotionless, expressionless reactions in the past, throughout these Pyeongchang Olympics they have been smiling and waving at the cameras, and even answering questions, albeit only with brief responses.
Scenes of North Korean athletes posing alongside and even joking with their South Korean counterparts have also been captured on camera. Photos appeared in South Korean media on February 8 showing North Korean pair figure skater Kim Ju Sik with South Korean athletes Lee Kang Bok, Lee Mi Hyun, and Jang Yu Jin. Figure skater Kam Kang Chan also uploaded a selfie with Kim to Instagram.
The media even captured a North Korean holding a bag of food from McDonald’s – the symbol of American capitalism. On February 6, as the North Korean short track speed skating team was walking through the Olympic pavilion, a photographer snapped an image of one of the athletes carrying a large McDonald’s to-go bag. Other athletes have also been seen holding to-go cups from the American food chain.
In other instances, athletes from the North have been seen using a free soda vending machine inside the Olympic Village.
“National athletes lead lives with more freedom than ordinary citizens in North Korea,” said defector and former national athlete Lee Ji Young (alias). She explained that the photos of the athletes with McDonald’s are indeed surprising, but that they likely have already enjoyed dining at fast food restaurants now accessible to privileged residents in Pyongyang.
“It’s true that on the whole, the athletes appear to enjoy more freedom under Kim Jong Un compared to under Kim Jong Il,” Lee said. “Nevertheless, they were all thoroughly coached and educated prior to departing on how to respond to reporters, how to interact with their Southern counterparts, and how to behave in general, meaning that it’s not their genuine personalities that we are seeing.”
There have also been times during these Olympics where the North Koreans appeared more characteristically unusual in front of the cameras. On February 8, North Korean athletes were seen crying while watching a cheerful welcome performance of Ganggangsullae put on by North Korean musicians marching in the Olympic concourse in Gangneung.
In another instance, North Korea’s Vice Sports Minister Won Gil Woo stumbled into an awkward situation while saying aloud the names of volunteer helpers at a press event on February 6. When he came to a person named “Ko Jong Un,” he paused for a moment and said, “I would not dare say this name” (referring to anyone other than Kim Jong Un), to which everyone, including Won, laughed heartily.
Speaking about the reason for this mix of both seemingly natural behavior and the more expected awkward behavior of North Koreans at the Olympics, Lee said that it is likely due in part to the carefully controlled and thorough ideological preparation they are put through before going abroad, as well as the more fundamental communist aspects of their society. “Due to the rift between North and South Korean societies, behavior that South Koreans find strange may seem natural to North Koreans,” she explained.
