Joint ice hockey team turns young South Koreans hostile toward North

By Lee Min-hyung

Young South Koreans have a growing sense of hostility toward North Korea, viewing a recent decision by the two Koreas to form a joint ice hockey team as giving the North a “free ride” in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

According to an opinion poll by Gallup Korea, President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating dropped to 67 percent last week (Jan. 16 to 18), the lowest in 16 weeks, largely affected by the controversy over the joint ice hockey team.

By age group, the figure among those in their 40s declined by the biggest margin, from 84 percent to 75 percent, followed by those in their 30s and 20s.

The decline is attributable to the government’s recent decision to form a joint women’s ice hockey team, which aroused a sense of distrust against the Moon administration especially from the younger generation.

Last week, Seoul reached a consensus with Pyongyang over forming the unified hockey team at the Olympics, with the North planning to send hundreds of delegates to the South.

The Ministry of Unification said the decision came as part of the government’s efforts to improve inter-Korean relations by taking full advantage of sports diplomacy.

But this has sparked a growing controversy especially from the younger generation, as the joint Korean team should include at least three North Korean athletes in the final squad of the 23-member South Korean women’s ice hockey team.

Young people here are ramping up their criticism against the government, as the move will take away opportunities from some South Korean athletes to play during the world’s largest sporting event.

“South Korean athletes will fall victim to the government’s decision to form the joint hockey team at a time when the Olympics is only a few weeks away,” Rep. Na Kyung-won from the Liberty Korea Party said.

“Their years-long effort has come to nothing overnight due to political reasons,” she said.

“It is not fair for the government to push ahead with the plan.”

South Korean athletes will not be compensated properly if the government pushes ahead with the drive, she added.

More than 40,000 people have joined an online petition on the website of Cheong Wa Dae, urging the government not to form the joint team.

But the government is unlikely to retract its decision, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a decision Saturday that both Koreas can field a joint hockey team at the upcoming Olympics. This will allow 12 North Korean athletes to join the 23-member South Korean team under a “unified Korea” team.