North Korea to evaluate athletes for taking viral selfie at the Olympic Games, reports say
After the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics, international reports have surfaced saying the North Korean athletes who posed for the viral selfie with South Korea and China are undergoing strict evaluation from their government.
Daily NK expounded on the situation and said there are “negative evaluations” of North Korean tennis players Lee Jeong-sik and Kim Geum-yong after they took a selfie with fellow medalists from China and their “number one enemy,” South Korea.
Some of the acts that were criticized by the North Korean government were when Kim Geum-yong smiled for a selfie and when Lee Jeon-sol stared and smiled at other athletes after coming down from the podium.
But Daily NK clarified that “it remains to be seen whether the North Korean authorities will actually punish them or end the matter with relatively light criticism such as a warning or self-reflection.”
Kim Geum-yong and Lee Jeon-sol's evaluation is part of the country's “three-stage ideological evaluation” of all athletes as part of their initiative to “cleanse the athletes' ideologies as quickly as possible” after they come in contact with non-socialist culture.
Their three-stage ideological evaluation is composed of the Central Party, the Ministry of Sports, and the athletes' own evaluation.
Central Party evaluation focuses on investigating, analyzing, and evaluating if the athletes “have acted in a way that goes against the party's policies or educational programs during the Olympics.”
Daily NK stated that there have been instructions for North Korean Olympians not to interact or come in contact with foreigners, including those from South Korea.
Should they be found guilty of violating the rule, they could be subject to punishment.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Sports Ministry will focus on evaluating the performance of North Korea's athletes at the Olympic Games to determine if they are to be awarded, criticized, and/or punished.
The last stage of North Korea's evaluation is for athletes to criticize each other and themselves for their “wrongdoings” during the Olympic Games.
CHECK OUT OTHER VIRAL OLYMPIC MOMENTS IN THIS GALLERY, INCLUDING THE PODIUM SELFIE:
