Rio 2016: NK shooter fires up on unification of two Koreas

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh, right, hugs North Korean shooter Kim Song-guk after winning the gold medal in the men’s 50 meter pistol at the Olympic Shooting Center in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday. / Joint press corps

By Park Jae-hyuk

North Korean shooter Kim Song-guk mentioned unification of the two Koreas after he won the bronze medal in the men’s 50 meter pistol at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Wednesday.

At a press conference at the Olympic Shooting Center, Kim sat beside South Korea’s Jin Jong-oh, who won the event, and said: “If the two (Koreas) become one, we could have one bigger medal.

If the gold and the bronze came from one Korea, it could be a much bigger one.”

It is the first time a North Korean athlete has implied unification of Korea at the Rio Olympics. They have rarely commented on the divided peninsula at international sports events.

Kim’s words surprised South Koreans because U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on August 5 that North Korean authorities had banned people singing “Our Wish is Unification,” citing a source in North Korea. The source said: “The song was prohibited because the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, wanted a stronger military, not unification.”

The North Korean shooter congratulated his South Korean rival at the press conference. He said: “World-famous shooter Jin Jong-oh is a great rival. I will train hard to defeat him one day.”