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| President Moon Jae-in poses with members of the Olympic ice hockey teams during his visit to the Jincheon National Training Center, North Chungcheong Province, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon |
By Choi Ha-young
President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that he fully supported forming a joint South-North women's ice hockey team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics during a visit to the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province.
The visit came amid a growing dispute over the government's efforts to field a team including North Korean players. At the training center, he met with ice hockey players and had lunch with other Olympic athletes.
"The joint ice hockey team is under discussion, though I'm not fully sure about its possibility. I think this could be a great chance to attract public interest in ice hockey, and overcome the longstanding disappointment of players of unpopular sports," Moon said in a meeting with ice hockey players.
The President acknowledged that a joint team wouldn't have a successful outcome in the Winter Games. "It may require bigger efforts to create teamwork with the North Koreans. However, it will be a historic moment if the two Koreas put up a good fight as a one team. I'm sure this will impress not only Koreans but also the whole world."
During the visit, Moon was also briefed about the ongoing preparation for the Winter Games and took a look at scientific training facilities. He watched short-track speed skaters training and had talks with head coach Kim Sun-tae.
Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan, President of Korean Sports and Olympics Committee Lee Kee-heung, head of the training center Lee Jae-geun, and chief delegate for the PyeongChang Olympics Kim Ji-yong accompanied the President.
Earlier, South Korea women's hockey head coach Sarah Murray said "damage" was inevitable if North Koreans abruptly joined the team without enough training. If some North Koreans join the Olympics competition, some South Koreans will be required to give way to them.
"It's hard because the players have earned their spots and they think they deserve to go to the Olympics, Then you have people being added later. It definitely affects our players," she told reporters, Tuesday.
Online petitions opposing the move have been posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, while the conservative opposition parties took issue with "political calculations" behind the sports event, saying the government was sacrificing dedicated athletes.
Despite the popularity of the President, opinion surveys show the majority of people also oppose the envisioned joint team. According to local broadcaster SBS's survey, Jan. 11, 72.2 percent of respondents answered there was no need to recklessly push ahead with a joint team.
Regarding the issue, the Ministry of Unification said that the government was fully aware of the public's concerns.
"We will carefully prepare the joint team so as not to raise controversy, based on our goal to create a conciliatory and festive mood on the occasion of the Olympics," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said in a regular press briefing, Wednesday.
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