I am a sucker for emotional moments, but this one could be incredible. I know they have done it before, but I think it will be a very special moment and they have not marched as “one nation” in quite awhile.
I can’t wait to see that moment.
Did they enter the 1988 Seoul Olympics together? If not, this will be even more special.
Ah, looks like N. Korea boycotted the 1988 Olympics in S. Korea. So, yes, this would be the first time they march together in Korea.
It certainly follows the Olympic spirit and is good for the global community.
But it feels like extortion to me: wouldn’t want anything “interesting” to happen on the peninsula during the games, would we?
It’s not. Basically, it’s Kimmy and his merry band trying to show that they aren’t the bad guys, and can’t you all please, please reconsider these bad and evil sanctions? Think of the children!
(And that last one is a serious thing, btw…at least from most people who aren’t Kimmy and his band. These sanctions are hitting the NK people really hard, especially during winter. You know it’s bad when defecting soldiers are in really bad shape 
).
Certainly the North Korean people are getting hit pretty hard, but they’re not necessarily getting hit by the sanctions. Even if food and other humanitarian supplies were getting into the country, would they be reaching the common people?
They have in the past, especially food (after, of course, the US and others removed any markings showing the country of origin, or the NK government put the equivalent of ‘this is tribute from XXX country’ on the crates). In addition, in recent years they have been having even more issues with their own internal agriculture.
I’d say that even the fact that oil is in short supply, as well as hard currency is hurting even the ‘common people’ this time around. Doesn’t look to me as if it’s affecting lil’ Kimmy v3.0 too much, but if even the soldiers are in such poor shape it’s hard to imagine how bad the ‘common people’ are in at this point.
How much will North Korea be contributing to the joint team, in terms of athletic talent? I know there’s a certain propaganda value in having athletes do well at the Games, but North Korea is so closed off that I don’t know of any athletes from there who’ve been allowed to compete internationally to qualify for the Games.
Just checked online and there will be two North Koreans, in pairs figure skating.
Also, I have heard there will be some North Koreans on the “Unified Korea” women’s ice hockey team.
The really really stupid part about North Korea and their claims about harm from the sanctions is their miserably derelict electricity grid.
This is a nation that, until recent sanctions, exported a large amount of coal to China on a regular basis. More than sufficient to meet all of their internal energy needs with some to spare. But they don’t lift a finger to build more coal plants.
I also note that they’re now claiming that the only nation they’re aiming their nuclear warheads at is the USA. Well gosh, you’ve a long history of threatening to burn South Korea to ashes and you’ve still got a lot of missiles and artillery aimed at Seoul. Just who do you think you’re kidding with this whole temporary “play nice with the South” crap?
Hey, playing nice is better than playing mean, at least.
If they are and past history is any judge, they’re only doing it for behind the scenes payments. The threats will resume once the money is firmly in their hands.
I know we often debate the threat of conflict with North Korea, but this is spot on the mark right here. ^^^^
A bit tangential but it’s worth noting, too, that there’s a left wing element in South Korea (under the age of 50) that is a lot more skeptical of the United States than the grandfather generation that fought North Korea and endured North Korean terrorism. Part of equation, too, is that, like other Asian countries, they are distrustful of large and powerful countries, particularly those from the West. I won’t say that they like North Korea or the Kim regime - nearly all Koreans of any generation agree that it’s a fucking bizarro cultist regime and that they enslave their people. But people have to understand that South Koreans still see kinship with North Koreans, even if they despise the Kim regime (and they do).
But back to your post, yes, this is a PR move by the Kims and he knows his audience. He’s extending the olive branch to these younger and US-skeptical Koreans. It’s significant that Korea is now under (moderate?) left-wing leadership, which is probably more skeptical of the US than in previous years. Moreover, the new Korean president can earn a feather in his cap by being the ‘stable’ guy, juxtaposed next to the likes of Trump. This is why I don’t think that Kim Jung Un is “crazy” at all. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Ruthless? Yes. Inhumane? Yes. Brutal? Yes. Crazy? Not quite. He’s very sane and he’s calculating every move – and so far, I would say he has calculated his moves more so than we’ve calculated ours.