Why North Korean Olympians are in trouble for 'smiling' selfie

Why North Korean Olympians are in trouble for 'smiling' selfie
25 Aug 2024

The North Korea table tennis silver medalists are in hot water over a harmless selfie they took from the 2024 Paris Olympics podium.

Kim Kum-yong is under scrutiny for smiling in a victory picture with South Korean athletes, while his partner, Ri Jong-sik, could face punishment for smiling with China's gold medalists and South Korea's bronze medalists, the Telegraph reported.

The photograph of the athletes from two warring countries went viral around the world due to its display of sportsmanship.

Selfie with rivals grabs global attention
Global spotlight

"A selfie with both Koreas' national flags and a Samsung phone," said the English edition of the South Korean daily JongAng Ilbo.

Samsung Electronics, an official partner of the Olympics, had provided an Olympic edition of its foldable Galaxy Z Flip6 to "all approximately 17,000," except North Korea.

At the time, the South Korean government said that providing the smartphones to North Korean Olympians could violate United Nations sanctions related to Pyongyang's weapons program.

North Korean athletes undergo 'cleanse' post-Olympics
Ideological assessment

Seoul's foreign ministry stated that a UN Security Council resolution prohibits the "direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer to North Korea of all industrial machinery."

During the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, North Korea also refused to accept Samsung smartphones supplied by the organizers.

Given that ties between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years, the athletes' selfie could only be interpreted as a betrayal in dictator Kim Jong Un's North Korea.

Potential penalties for violating directives
Uncertain consequences

Since their return on August 15, the North Korean Olympic team has been subjected to a month-long "cleanse" from "exposure to contamination," the Daily NK reported.

This process is said to be a three-stage ideological assessment conducted by the country's sports ministry, aimed at eliminating any lingering influence of "non-socialist" culture.

Other North Korean athletes are also going through a month-long ideological evaluation process.

Athletes warned not to interact
Warning

The athletes had reportedly been instructed not to interact with South Koreans or other foreign competitors during the Olympics.

If the athletes have violated these directives, they could face penalties, although the nature of these punishments remains unclear.

In 2010, when North Korea's football team failed to score a goal at the World Cup, they were publicly reprimanded and subjected to a "six-hour barrage of criticism," according to the Telegraph.