Pyeongchang Olympics lights the torch of Korean reconciliation

The participation of North Korean athletes in the Winter Olympics-2018 held in Pyeongchang, South Korea has drawn world attention. Some have been busy following the diverse sports events and others have carefully watched and analysed the delicate public relations balancing act carried out by the North Korean administration. Some noted the daily count in gold medals and others praised the joint participation of Korean sportspersons in different categories.

Reporting from Gangneung, South Korea, Aimee Lewis of the CNN pointed out that "Seldom is history made without a medal won or a record broken. However, on the Winter Olympics' first day came a match without compare -- not that anyone will remember the score or what happened on the ice. On a bone-chilling evening in Gangneung, a city on the east coast of South Korea, a unified Korean ice hockey team made its Olympic debut" but, despite their "comprehensive defeat sent a message to the world that winning is not always the be all and end all."

This unified Korean women's team became a tool for rapprochement. Their first outing at the Games against Switzerland had captured the imagination and, unsurprisingly, wooed journalists from all over the world to the Kwandong Hockey Centre. Though this was sport, the political message resonated louder than any fan's roar. South Koreans of all generations gaily waved flags of a unified Korean peninsula.

This Olympic gave the two countries of the Korean Peninsula reason to talk again after a year of escalating hostility over Pyongyang's ballistic missile programme. Few could have predicted such a dynamics at the beginning of 2017.

This historic turn of events started with North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister Kim Yo-jong, the first member of Pyongyang's ruling dynasty, setting foot on the South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

After the match with Switzerland, leaders from both sides of Korea exchanged words with the unified team and posed with the team for photographs. The result of this opening game -- an 8-0 drubbing -- mattered little.

Many South Koreans mentioned to the international media that they hoped that the unified team could help improve the South's understanding of the North. They interpreted this measure as a historic message of hope and peace.

Jamie Tarabay of the CNN has recalled that when South Korea hosted the Olympic Games in 1988, the last time round, the North tried its best to drive international attention away from Seoul. Pyongyang refused to attend the 1988 Games and called for an international boycott, one that was ignored by its communist patrons in Beijing and Moscow. In addition, North Korea spent billions of US dollars to put on the World Youth Festival in 1989 and tried to use this Festival to demonstrate its doctrine of self-reliance. At that time, North Korea hosted delegates from more than 170 countries for a week of exhibitions, seminars, competitions and folk performances. It built a never-occupied 105-floor hotel, marble-lined subway stations, an Arc de Triomphe replica and a stadium for 150,000 spectators. It also imported 1,000 luxury cars to accommodate the influx of expected foreigners. It was not only a huge drain on the North Korean economy but also drew attention of the international media for its lack of success. It may be mentioned here that the 105-story Ryugyong hotel in Pyongyang began construction in 1987 but remains unfinished and unoccupied even today.

This time around, however, the North has gotten the kind of publicity money can't buy. Such a dynamics, while accepted by many in South Korea, appears to have raised concern among many in the manufacturing community and also in the United States and Japan.

It may be recalled that the South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during his presidential campaign had mentioned that, if elected, he wanted to be the leader "who built a peaceful relationship" between the two Koreas.

Consequently, it was not a great surprise when during his meeting with North Korean President's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, he was presented with a formal invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to travel to North Korea. This was considered as eventful as this would be the first North-South summit in the peninsula since 2007 when South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun -- in whose administration Moon served -- met with Kim's father, Kim Jong Il.

Such a prospective visit was immediately interpreted by Korean analysts as a diplomatic coup for Moon whose decision to pursue warmer relations with the North stood in stark contrast with his conservative predecessor. It was also seen as a move that might strain relations with the United States. In this context, reference was also made by the media to US Vice President Pence having appeared as uncomfortable at the warm welcome offered to the North Korean delegation.

Moon's immediate response to the invitation has been one of caution. His Office has reported that such a meeting might take place after the two countries "create the right conditions," adding that talks between North Korea and the United States were also needed. This indicates that Moon now needs to wade his way through tricky diplomatic waters.

Subsequently, addressing journalists on February 17 at the Games' main press centre, Moon hailed the progress that had already been made in advancing inter-Korean talks. He emphasised his hope that "this will lead to an improvement in inter-Korean relations but gradually, a growing consensus on the need for dialogue between the United States and North Korea,". He also mentioned that he hoped "the dialogue between the two Koreas will be able to lead to dialogue between the United States and North Korea, and eventually denuclearisation." The last bit of the sentence was, of course, very important.

It would be interesting to note here the response of US Vice President Pence's Office to this evolving situation. Alyssa Farah, his spokeswoman stated that "the Vice President is grateful that President Moon reaffirmed his strong commitment to the global maximum pressure campaign and for his support for continued sanctions." Pence is reported to have said that "the fixed policy of the United States of America is that we are going to continue with all options on the table to bring intensifying economic and diplomatic pressure to bear until North Korea, once and for all, completely and verifiably abandons its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has taken the dynamics forward by pointing out that it will be "up to North Korea" to decide when it is ready to engage in serious and meaningful diplomatic talks with the United States.

It appears that the North Korean authorities have been following the situation with care. This has probably led Jo Yong Sam, a Director General of the north Korean Foreign Ministry to state that the country had never "begged the US for dialogue" and was not about to start now.

One can conclude that within this matrix, as the Olympic programme has progressed, another competition has also played itself out beside it, in parallel. It has included a charm offensive initiative versus a propaganda drive, with nuclear ambitions at stake. What will remain to be seen is whether any of the relevant players will be ready for another round once the Winter Olympic Games are finished.

Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.

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