Wow. If this is what soft power looks like, then perhaps President Trump’s biggest accomplishment in office will be the cooling of tensions between North and South Korea.
The New York Times just broke a story about how the Korean Olympic team will play under one flag in the upcoming winter games. From the report:
North and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to field a joint women’s ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics next month, and to have their athletes march together at the opening ceremony under one flag.
The agreement is a milestone in inter-Korean sports relations, and Seoul has said in the past that it hoped such a move could contribute to a political thaw after years of high tensions over the North’s nuclear and missile tests.
In the first games where the two Koreas have agreed to a joint Olympic team, both countries’ delegations will march at the opening ceremony behind a “unified Korea” flag that shows an undivided Korean Peninsula. https://t.co/Fz9Nq7v9N7
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) January 17, 2018
This is incredible. It will be the very first time the Koreans have had a joint Olympic team, and the first time the two countries have teamed up for an international sporting event since, as the NYT reports, “an international table-tennis championship and a youth soccer match in 1991.”
The Korean Olympic teams have marched under a unified flag before, but this is the first time they’ll play under one flag. It’s quite a breakthrough!
We don’t know quite the extent that the Trump Administration played in this decision. But we do know that Trump’s diplomatic team has been working extensively behind the scenes to help soften tensions between the two countries. The two nations recently held peace talks, a move initiated by the Trump Administration. South Korean President Moon Jae-in actually credited Trump with doing “a lot” to bring the countries together.
The formation of a unified Korean Olympic team represents a big win for the Trump Team. It shows that it is possible to negotiate for peace while projecting strength. We’ll have to wait and see if there is any more reporting on the extent the Trump Administration played in this unprecedented decision. Until then, it’s a nice gesture that should hopefully lower the tension between the two countries.
Share this story with others now! Another Korean breakthrough for President Trump!
