Kim Jong-un is a dangerously powerful human being in charge of a government that is equally crazy. That’s not embellishing even a little bit.
The nation with one political party is one of the few in the world that has established a cult of personality around the Kim family. The country is also characterized by elections with one candidate, scientists that claim to have seen unicorns and state-run media that claims Kim has been able to drive a car since he was 3.
Kim scares me. The North Korean leader has his finger on the button that could end millions of lives in an instant, and he answers to no one. He seemingly believes that he and his country (that suffers from extreme poverty and starvation) are the greatest in world history.
And that belief extends into everything, including sports. Soccer matches are rarely ever broadcast in North Korea in case a loss occurs, which is quite often. Following their 2010 World Cup loss, the team was subjected to a public scolding by the North Korean sports minister. Losing players and coaches have even been reportedly sent to prison camps following losses. When it comes to his national sports teams, Kim is anything but sportsman-like.
For one instance, Kim Jong-un has arguably shown great respect, compassion and, most importantly, unity. The notoriously reclusive country agreed before this year’s Olympic Winter Games (in Pyeongchang, South Korea, no less) that they would merge their women’s national ice hockey team with the South Korean squad to form a unified Korean team.
There are generally two ways to interpret North Korea’s actions. Is it a real exhibition of unity between the countries still technically locked in a cease-fire since 1953? Or is it merely a public relations stunt to help improve the world’s already cautious view of the militaristic country? In all likelihood, it’s sadly the latter.
The unity of the team, however, is still a symbol of what sports has failed to live up to in recent years.
Earnest intentions to work together or not, the merging of the teams is a great show of unity and cooperation, if only temporary. It is one bright spot in a turbulent political climate where people fear for their lives, and a sports world that is arguably as divisive as it has ever been.
President Trump has gone to Twitter and dared Kim to pull the trigger. That’s just a part of the large political division in America. With the left and right, trust is low and emotions run high.
Concurrently, the sports world is experiencing its own division. Players like Colin Kaepernick have raised the question “at what point does politics intersect with sports?” People are either very much for or against bringing certain issues to the field.
But in the middle of all this, there is the Olympics, the purpose of which is to demonstrate togetherness among the peoples of the world. In Pyeongchang, on the forefront of a war waiting to happen, individuals like Shaun White and Chloe Kim have captivated the globe. When it comes to the Korean women’s national ice hockey team, they are a mark of uniformity.
Ironically, the two countries waiting to kill one another have agreed to work in unison. It shows the world that if peace can exist on the ice, it is possible anywhere. It is what sports and politics should be: two people with fierce differences that can still work together. It is what sports and politics should return to in America. Even if this is a PR move by Kim, the lessons it teaches are indescribably important.
