olympic fishes

Eight years ago, when North Korea made an appearance in the World Cup and proceeded to turn in a piss poor performance, the news seemed to suggest retributions to the athletes.  Presumably, when the Unified Korean teams come to play, either the South Korean athletes will be covering well enough for the North Korean athletes that a bar will be met so that the People’s athletes won’t be embarrassing the People’s Republic, or in whatever agreement that made this passable —

— the host South Koreans as well the Olympic committee wanting to diffuse political tensions and provide a storyline for public consumption, so a deal is brokered —

this was dealt away with.

Or perhaps Kim Jong Un is more sports sympathetic than Kim Jong Il.  (Though, the Rodman lead basketball team had to tie the North Korean team, for North Korean consumption.)

At first it strikes me as positive — if slight.  Open up what channels of communication you can.  (What?  Didn’t a Ping Pong competition open up China?  (Or, according to the late 1970s Hal Lindsey book — The 1980s — Countdown to Armageddon — put us on the path to armageddon.)  Though don’t pretend it’s more than it is.  (Yes.  The Leader wants the country to put the thoughts on the war on hold, and prepare for the glorious day when South Korea will be lead by him as too well.)

But then consider this problem: there are South Korean athletes … now being cut… from rosters… to make room for North Koreans.

On that score, what the heck?

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