North Korean table tennis players Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong, who took a commemorative photo with South Korean players Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin during the mixed doubles medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics, are reportedly expected to face at least a “revolutionary re-education” in North Korea. This means that it is anticipated that they will not be able to avoid punishment.
In an interview with YTN on August 27, Park Chung-kwon, a former North Korean defector and now an assemblymember of the South Korean governing People Power Party, explained the situation in North Korea.
“It was a heartwarming moment to see North and South Korean athletes standing together on the podium, taking a selfie with smartphones provided by Samsung, a leading South Korean company,” Park said.
However, Park elaborated on the event’s implications, stating, “Even though the interaction between North and South Korean athletes was brief, the North Korean players likely received the latest Samsung smartphones, which could have caused significant cognitive dissonance.”
He added, “In North Korea, people are taught that South Korea is impoverished, but meeting South Koreans in person reveals a different reality. Anyone exposed to this truth must be ‘corrected.’”
He further explained, “Those whose thoughts are influenced by contact with South Koreans are punished to prevent others from developing similar ideas.”
When asked about the potential punishment for the North Korean athletes, Park predicted, “At a minimum, they could face two to three years of revolutionary re-education.” He explained that revolutionary re-education involves a labor training process where individuals work as laborers on farms for about two to three years.
Park added, “If the punishment is more severe, they could face a labor reform sentence of about 10 years, which is equivalent to 10 years in prison in South Korea. In extreme cases, they could be sent to a political prison camp.”
Park also referenced a historical precedent, stating, “During the 1966 London World Cup, North Korean soccer players reached the quarterfinals and had contact with South Korean players. They shared meals and drinks in a friendly manner, but many of those players were later sent to political prison camps or exiled upon returning to North Korea.”
He warned that if such incidents continue to occur, North Korea might eventually stop sending athletes to international events like the Olympics. “Who would want to become a national athlete under such circumstances?” he questioned.
On August 21, Daily NK reported, citing a high-level source in Pyongyang, that the North Korean Olympic Committee delegation and athletes who participated in the Olympics have been undergoing ideological assessments since returning to Pyongyang on August 15.
North Korean athletes who compete in international events are subjected to a three-stage ideological assessment process that lasts about a month, involving the Central Party, the Ministry of Sports, and an internal review.
BY HYESEON CHAE, YOUNGNAM KIM [chae.hyeseon@joongang.co.kr]
