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The 2024 Paris Olympics culminated on August 11 in the French capital. Days after the Games concluded, North Korea have put their table tennis players, Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik under scrutiny. According to recent reports, the North Korean duo are under investigation for their behaviour during the Paris Olympics 2024 medal ceremony.
It is to be noted that South Korea and North Korea are technically at war since the Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty in 1953. Moreover, speaking of the incident, Kim Kum-yong is facing scrutiny for smiling in a victory photo with South Korean athletes, who are apparently rival nations. As of writing, there isn’t any information on Ri Jong-sik’s investigation, but Ri may also face disciplinary action for smiling alongside the gold medal winners, China and the bronze medallist, South Korea.
Although, these images went viral at the time of the Games, when everyone hailed this as ‘beautiful moment in Olympic history’. This moment reportedly did not sit well with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, the Daily NK reported.
Apart from this, the team since their return home on August 15, have been subjected to a month-long ‘cleanse’, a purpose followed to remove any influence of ‘non-socialist’ culture, as per reports from The Daily NK. This process is being managed by North Korea’s Ministry of Sport, including a three-stage ideological assessment designed to ensure the athletes align with state approved values.
Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum yong win first Olympic medal in eight years
It is to be noted that the North Korean mixed doubles pair capped a fairytale run at the Summer Games. The duo won the first Olympic medal for the country in eight years. Although they enetered the competition as the lowest-ranked team, but got up and fought in the final against the top ranked and favourities, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China.
The North Korean pair lost the summit clash by a score of 4-2 (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8).
