North Korean table tennis players seem to escape punishment for Olympic selfies, appear on TV unharmed

By KTimes

North Korean table tennis players, seen training on TV, appear to have faced no consequences for taking selfies with South Korean athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

North Korea's state-run broadcaster, Korean Central TV (KCTV) aired Wednesday footage of athletes and coaches training at the Pyongyang Youth Street Sports Village, emphasizing their efforts to bring honor to their country with gold medals. Among those featured were Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik, who won silver in the mixed doubles table tennis event.

In an interview, Kim said, "We gained valuable experience and lessons from last year's Asian Games and this year's Olympics. We are now rigorously training for upcoming international competitions."

Kim and Ri gained attention at the Paris Olympics for taking a selfie with South Korea's Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon, who won bronze, as well as with China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin, who won gold. This selfie was highlighted by several international media outlets as one of the most memorable moments of the Summer Games.

However, concerns had arisen that these athletes might face punishment upon returning to North Korea for violating directives not to interact with foreign athletes, particularly those from South Korea.

Last month, Daily NK reported, citing sources in Pyongyang, that the athletes underwent a thorough ideological review upon their return.

The report said that officials were displeased with the athletes' smiles and interaction with South Korean athletes, whom the regime considers as their primary adversary. Some, including defector-turned-politician Park Chung-kwon, speculated that the athletes could face up to 2-3 years of forced labor or, in severe cases, imprisonment in a political prison camp.

However, given the recent footage of them training, these fears appear to be unfounded. It is still possible that they received a light punishment and have since returned to training, or that North Korean authorities decided against punitive measures to avoid international scrutiny, instead opting to showcase them on TV.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

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