By Kim Young-jin
A group of amateur American basketball players arrived in North Korea last week for the first such visit ever to the Stalinist state ― whose young leader is thought to be huge fan of the sport, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.
The group, organized by Luke Elie, who played in the South for an international school, arrived in the North on the Friday for a five-day trip, RFA said. They are coached by former UCLA assistant coach Greg Hayes, reports said.
Elie has been quoted as saying he organized the trip after sensing a need for sports and cultural exchange with the North.
The Dayton Daily News reported that Elie’s father, who lives in Dayton, was a school administrator in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province and that Elie was the all-time leading scorer at an international school in Uijeongbu.
The project draws interest as the North’s new leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly a huge basketball fan. Former classmates at Kim’s boarding school in Switzerland said he loved to play the game and had photos taken with professional players such as Kobe Bryant. They did not elaborate on where the photographs were taken.
While South Korean citizens are barred from visiting the North under bilateral sanctions over Pyongyang’s provocations in 2010, U.S. and citizens of other countries are allowed in on tightly-monitored tours. Travel agents specializing in such trips say interest has picked up due to recent headline-grabbing developments there such as the death of the late leader Kim Jong-il last year.
A growing number of tourists, including an estimated 2,000 Westerners, visit the North each year. Watchers say Pyongyang is pushing the industry as a source of cash to buoy its economy.