Table tennis champions said to be in ‘cleanse from exposure to contamination’ following podium picture with opponents
It was a heartwarming moment that captured the Olympic spirit, but North Korea’s table tennis champions may be punished for joining a selfie with their opponents from the South.
Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, who won silver medals, are said to be undergoing “ideological evaluation” along with other athletes who returned from the Paris Games.
The assessment is a standard procedure to “cleanse” the team from “exposure to contamination” abroad, the Daily NK reported.
North Korean athletes were reportedly given “special instructions” not to interact with South Koreans or other foreign athletes in Paris, under threat of repercussions.
Since returning from France, the Olympic team is believed to be in the process of a three-stage ideological assessment process by the country’s ministry of sport.
It is said to last about a month, with the intention of purging any lingering influence of “non-socialist” culture.
Yeah, it's pretty weird that they're banning (rightly but not thoroughly enough) Russia, but North Korea, Israel, and China get to participate as equals with the countries that AREN'T currently committing genocide, starving millions, and doping like there's no tomorrow.
It's almost like the ACTUAL reasoning of the IOC is nonpublic and laundry based.
I'm pretty sure Russia only got banned because they had a state-sponsored doping system. Long as you don't get caught with that, you can be as authoritarian as you want.
Kidnapping is based with North Koreans if it means giving them a better, happier and healthier life and a chance to let these particular athletes escape what will inevitably be a death sentence for taking a picture with the South Koreans. Are you just clueless or what? Kim has enslaved their entire nation with an iron fist.
Fun. When the news came first time, the comments were all mansplaining to a guy that said "hope they will be okay" that the athletes definitely are not going to get in trouble for this. I don't understand where people think their educated guesses are worth spreading like gospel when they aren't experts at all on the question