Lips sealed, but youth impossible to hide: NK athletes show 2 faces at Asian Games

The North Korean women's football team's "clocking out" after an 8-0 thrashing of Myanmar at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on the night of Sept. 17 was unusually late.

It was about 15 minutes after the Myanmar players had left the stadium before the door to the North Korean locker room finally opened. Inside, reporters caught sight of unmistakably youthful players bustling about as they stuffed snacks provided by the organizing committee into brown paper bags.

Whether they knew they were being watched or not, the players appeared excited about their unexpected haul. But as soon as they approached the Korean reporters waiting in the mixed zone, their demeanor suddenly changed.

With stern expressions and their eyes deliberately averted, they did not respond to reporters' requests to "say just a few words about the big win." Carrying bags of snacks in their hands, the players quickly walked out of the stadium.

North Korea, which is making its first appearance at an Asian Games held in Japan, is keeping tight control over its athletes during the competition. According to an event official, the North Korean women's footbal team, which was the first team among participating countries to arrive in Japan, is staying at the same hotel as teams from South Korea, Bangladesh and Myanmar during the group stage.

"North Korean players appear to have their movements strictly controlled by people believed to be officials from the security services," the official said. "They never leave their rooms except during mealtimes."

While reporting around the hotel Sept. 17 -18, the Hankook Ilbo found that, unlike the other three teams in the group, North Korean players did not go out or engage in individual training such as running.

Even under such strict controls, however, glimpses of the players' youthful instincts can be seen both on and off the field.

Mealtimes are when tension and curiosity appear to intersect. North Korean players have tried to maintain a deliberately cold attitude toward their South Korean counterparts, but they have been unable to hide their curiosity, according to South Korean player Ji So-yun, 35, of Suwon FC Women. She said the North Korean players would subtly listen in when they heard the South Korean players talking.

Organizers reportedly arranged separate "meal groups," pairing South Korea with Bangladesh and North Korea with Myanmar, but did not physically separate the dining areas.

The players are not the only ones walking a fine line between vigilance and communication.

North Korean coach Pak Song-jin avoided giving a specific answer when asked by the Hankook Ilbo about preparations for the Olympics in Los Angeles in two years, saying only, "You have to play the games to know."

But he was relatively forthcoming when asked about the performance of Ri Song-a, a player of Korean descent from Japan. He not only discussed Ri's strengths but also explained why she was selected, saying, "What's important is that Ri is good."

North Korean coaches have previously reacted sensitively to terms such as "North Korea" or "the North" during press conferences. But when questions were phrased without referring to the country or using such terminology, the coaches responded without apparent objection.

Experts believe this dual approach by North Korea is likely to continue throughout the Games.

"North Korea is likely to use the Asian Games as a stage to further emphasize the concept of 'two hostile states' when dealing with South Korea, while using the event to project an image of a normal state to the outside world," said Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

"The athletes are likely to have received thorough training and education for this purpose before heading to Japan," Hong said.

He added that it will be worth watching whether North Korean athletes display a different level of confidence than in the past in areas such as sportsmanship and media interviews.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.