The motto of the Asian Games that is underway in China this year is to promote World unity. However it is difficult to even instill the notion of unity among athletes, especilly from countries that are at loggerheads for long. The Asian Games witnessed a moment when three North Korean shooters refused to join their South Korean rivals in a group photo of medal winners.
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North Korea’s Kwon Kwang-il, Pak Myong-won and Songjun Yu narrowly missed out on gold in a men’s 10m running target competition on Monday. The silver medal that they won was the nation’s first in this edition of the Asiad.
After receiving their silver medal, the three North Korean athletes first broke with tradition by declining to turn towards the flag during the rendition of the national anthem of the winners, South Korea.
Then, during the customary group photo, where all medal winners bunch together for the cameras, the North Koreans did not join their opponents atop the podium. This despite the South Koreans trying their best to speak with them. According to reports, the North Koreans kept silent and did not even look at their rivals.
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Asian Games – North Korea return to multi-sport event after 2018
The North Koreans last played in a multi-sport event back in 2018. The last edition of the Asiad was their last event. The country was suspended from the International Olympic Committee until the end of 2022. The suspension came following the country’s decision to miss the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The ban was lifted at the end of 2022, and North Korea became eligible for the 19th edition of the Asiad, which was delayed for one year due to the pandemic. However North Korea and South Korea have an ongoing conflict based on the division of Korea into two separate nations. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty meaning the two sides are still technically at war.
