![Benjamin Williams and Reese Sherman, social studies teachers, explain department information a guest. "This [open house] was, for me, a great opportunity to meet family in the district that will soon be attending the high school," Williams said.](https://www.utimesonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DSC_9117-1200x800.jpg)
North and South Korea join forces for Olympics
February 8, 2018
Two years after their last diplomatic talk, North and South Korea have come to a major decision surrounding the 2018 Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang, South Korea. It was announced in early January that North Korea would be sending a team to the games this year. Not only that, but one of their teams would be a joint women’s ice hockey team with them and South Korea and they will be marching together in the parade under a unified flag. This came as a shock to a lot of people around the world.
In 1945, Korea split and became two countries that we now know as North Korea and South Korea. Ever since then tensions have been rising and not much progress has been made. For example, the Korean War started in 1950 and lasted for three years, ending with the two countries still split. North Korea has stayed a communist country while South Korea is a republic. They are polar opposites. But it is too early to tell if this recent communication between the two countries will result in anything major.
“I think it’s good public relations and can be a benefit for those two countries to have some dialogue,” said Matthew Horn, history teacher. “We’ve seen it before with the Miss America competitions with Israel and Iran, it doesn’t necessarily get any political discussion moving so I am hesitant to say it is going to have a political impact in north korea but its a step in the right direction. They’re showing humanity for one another and coming under a common objective as opposed to being split.”
The North Korean team consists of a shared women’s ice hockey team with South Korea, a pair of figure skaters named Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik, two short track speed skaters named Jong Kwang-bom and Choe Un-song, three cross country skiers (two men and one woman) and another three alpine skiers (also two men and one woman).
The shared hockey team will consist of 22 players in each match. CNN reported that “they will be selected by the head coach from South Korea and must include three North Korean players for each game.” Along with the athletes, 24 coaches and 21 media representatives will be making the trip to PyeongChang, South Korea for the Olympics.
