Welcome ceremony is usually a joyous affair for both the hosts and the guests, but it can be equally grim if the two are fierce enemies — like the two Koreas.
On Thursday, South Korea welcomed North Korea to the Asian Games in a tense ceremony, a week after protests that forced the Asian Games organising committee to remove North Korea’s flag along with the flags of all other nations.
The North Korean delegates had polite smiles on their faces, but largely remained silent throughout the welcome ceremony.
A local dance group performed on the international hit song ‘Gangnam style’ by their superstar Psy. The other teams — Chinese, Singaporean, Thai and Yemeni, who were also welcomed at the same time — smiled, clapped and took pictures as dancers grooved to the tune that has bagged more than two billion YouTube views.
The North Koreans voices rung loud when their national anthem “Aegukga” was played and their national flag hoisted. It was a unique occasion, as normally, anyone waving the North’s flag or singing “Aegukga” in South Korea could face arrest under Seoul’s strict national security law.
North Korea’s participation has been one of the main talking points ahead of the Asian Games. Their athletes and officials seem to be under strict ‘orders’ to stay silent. Dressed in white blazers and vibrant blue trousers, and all wearing obligatory badges featuring North Korea’s dead leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the athletes were accompanied by a couple of bodyguards to fend off unwanted mediapersons or, perhaps, to remind them about the ‘orders’ to remain silent.
Only one official broke the silence when he was asked how they felt about the event. “Just look, you can see for yourself,” was all he had to say.
later in the day, India were also officially welcomed with the same break dance performance. All the star athletes remained inside their rooms and gave the hoisting ceremony a miss.