After the widely celebrated selfie between two Korean Olympic gymnasts, Hong Un-jong of the North and Lee Eun-ju of the South, the world had witnessed another gesture mirroring the spirit of the Games. A few days later, another gesture of diplomacy and camaraderie was displayed, this time by North Korean competitive shooter Kim Song Guk.

The Call for One Korea

Kim won bronze at Rio 2016 Olympics’ men’s 50m pistol shooting contest while Jin Jong Oh of South Korea took home the gold. At a short conference after the even, the North Korean athlete, to the delight of everyone, had the following words to say, “If the two become one, we could have a bigger medal. If both the gold and bronze medals came from one Korea, it could have been a much bigger win.”

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A Viral Hit

The video of Kim’s simple message became a huge hit especially in South Korea where it was highly shared and talked about within 24 hours after its posting. A copy of the video was posted on the official Facebook page of SBS, a TV channel in South Korea, and has generated more than 2.2 million views and 160,000 likes, and almost 14,000 comments overnight.

Highly Relevant

Kim’s call for unity could not have come at a better time as tensions between the North and South Korea has been flaring in the past few months. The South, along with the rest of the world, has highly condemned the North’s insistence on doing nuclear missile launch tests. The North, on the other hand, has always been critical of the joined military exercises between the South and the United States claiming that the drills are just a cover to prepare for an invasion of North Korea.

Sensitive Subject

Inter-Korean relations is a topic Koreans from both the North and the South typically try to avoid especially in the international stage. In North Korea, the government even outlawed a recently popular unification song and dealt severe punishment to anyone caught singing, writing, or even just talking about it. International North Korean athletes who talk about their country’s relationship with South Korea are also quite rare. Competitors from the North are also known to keep to themselves and not mingle with athletes of other nations. All of these just make what Kim did even more remarkable. Some even fear that he might face some form of penalty or punishment once he returns to North Korea.

Positive Reception by the South

The overwhelming support from South Korean netizens was just as surprising as Kim’s statement itself. Most South Korean commenters showered him with words and praise. Some also gave him prayers that he would not get in trouble with his government because of his statements. One commenter even said that in the hearts of all Koreans wishing for peace, Kim had won an award even greater than that of Olympic gold. Many also expressed the desire to see him again on the next Olympics.

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