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United South-North Olympic Team Unlikely Say Some

Posted October. 06, 2007 05:39,   

The 2008 Beijing Olympics is only ten months away, but the dream of forming a South-North united team is far from materialization.

In a luncheon on October 4 during the 2007 Summit, Kim Jeong-kil, president of both the Korea Sports Council and the Korean Olympic Committee, asked why there is nothing about a united team on the written agreement. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il answered, “They will participate only as a cheering party.” It means that he is not really thinking about uniting the South and North Korean teams.

However, President Kim claimed on October 5 that there is a high possibility of a South-North united team. He said that Moon Jae-deok, the president of the DPRK’s Olympic Committee, showed a positive response to South’s suggestions. The suggestions were the unity of the teams, carrying the sacred fire from Seoul to Pyongyang, passing the demarcation line, and a biennial Korea athletic competition.

President Kim said, “The North Korean leader said that the intervention of politics in sports will make matters more complex. He then added that the united team issue should be solved in the sports sector. Soon, we will exchange letters about the issue and hold a working-level meeting within this month.”

The problem is that the sports sector has failed to agree on the issue in four previous attempts. The South emphasizes individual ability, while the North stresses that both countries should have five athletes each in the team. This is why there are concerns that it might be hard to come up with a unified team in a such a short time.

An official from the sports sector said, “Except for the female soccer team, South Korean athletes are stronger than their North Korean counterparts. If we accept the North’s demand, we won’t be able to win many medals at the Olympics.” He also added a negative prediction, saying, “It will be harder for a working-level meeting to reach an agreement when the 2007 inter-Korean Summit did not come up with a conclusion.”



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