Koreans Unwilling to Discuss Momentous Occasion

(ATR) South Korean players talk up symbolism of Unified Korea team, but bristle at North Korea discussions.

Eight South Korea players joined three North Korean players to form the Unified women’s basketball team.

Basketball is one of three sports in which a Unified Korean team is competing at the 2018 Asian Games. Basketball, canoeing, and rowing fielded unified teams, and in the women’s dragon boat competition the unified team won a gold and bronze medal.

However, there seems to be unease from South Korean members of the Unified basketball team to discuss even the most basic aspects of daily life with North Koreans.

Speaking to reporters after a quarterfinal victory over Thailand, South Korean team member Hanbyul Kim was happy to offer platitudes about playing with North Koreans.

"Peace on the court, peace anywhere," was her takeaway.

But when pushed on more specific examples about what the team dynamic was like, she could only answer: "There’s taboos and what not to do. It’s kind of sensitive; I can’t talk about it."

At multiple points she appeared to try to walk away from the reporters’ questioning.

Have North Koreans asked about life in the South? "It’s all been basketball, basketball, basketball," Kim said.

What do you talk about? "The food and normal girl stuff."

Have you asked the North Koreans what their favorite K-Pop band is? "I haven’t asked them."

Yong Kyun Yi, a reporter with Seoul’sThe Kyunghyang Shinmunnewspaper tellsAround the Ringsthe players are just hoping to avoid distractions. "They don’t want to make any noise," he said. Part of the difficulty for the teammates is that citizens of each country call each other different names, that alone can be a diplomatically fraught exchange.

"It’s political," Yi added. He also said the Korean Olympic Committee gave lessons on how to interact with North Koreans before the Asian Games. "Don’t give them a big presence" was the lesson according to Yi.

The Korean Olympic Committee did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the reported lessons.

Ji-Su Park, the first South Korean player in the WNBA, was similarly tight-lipped about the importance of the Unified Korean team.

"I’m excited," she said. "We don’t know when we’re going to do it again and that’s why I want to enjoy it."

After providing those two answers, a Korean team coach acting as a translator pulled Park away saying "no more questions about North Korea". Getting North Korean responses? Forget it. The three players were immediately put on buses after the match, volunteers told reporters.

Coverage of the 18th Asian Games is made possible in part by the Olympic Council of Asia

Written and reported by Edward Hula IIIin Jakarta

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