North and South Korea are exploring the possibility of combining their women’s ice hockey teams to compete in this year’s Winter Olympics.
You read that right. The two Koreas that are at war with each other are about to potentially combine forces for a shot at the gold.
The Independent reports:
The offer has not been confirmed by North Korea officials yet, but they have announced that a delegation will be sent to compete at the Winter Olympics…An offer has also been made by the South to have both countries’ athletes walk into the Opening Ceremony together under a unified flag, although like the ice hockey proposal, a resolution has not yet been reached.
You may recall that North and South Korea held a discussion for the first time in over two years at the “truce village” inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Monday. The talks were thought to be a pivotal step in thawing relations between the two long embattled countries. North Korea also announced they would be sending athletes and cheerleaders to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month.
So now — after decades of hostilities — North and South Korea are suspiciously buddy buddy. I’m not sure if I buy it.
This is like when two exes start talking again after a long stretch of silence. They plan to “meet up” and “grab a coffee” as “mature adults’”but, what do you know, two days later they find themselves drunk in the middle of Vegas with matching gold dice wedding rings, a monstrous credit card bill and a nasty hangover. It never ends well.
If the Koreans are really convinced that they can overcome decades of bitter fighting with a hockey game then they clearly haven’t watched much hockey. I’m no foreign policy expert but I think sending a joint team to curl together may have a more diplomatic outcome.