From frequent broadcasts of football matches to the construction of ski resorts and skating facilities across the country, North Korea appears to be infatuated with sports, which analysts say could be a tool that leader Kim Jong-un uses to rally public support and foster national unity.
Pyongyang even created an expression, “sports-centric,” and has included it in various slogans to promote sports.
The communist state’s fondness for sports was highlighted when its state television broadcast a football game in which its national team lost — a rare case considering the North’s propaganda-filled broadcasting style.
On Jan. 23, the North’s Korean Central Television showed a filmed broadcast of the Asian Football Confederation’s U-23 Championship quarterfinal in which Qatar defeated North Korea 2-1.
Such a broadcast underscores Kim’s love for football, observers noted.
Kim, along with his wife Ri Sol-ju, has been seen watching a football game at least once a year since 2013. Kim was also seen greeting a group of female football players, who won a competition of the 2015 East Asian Football Federation, at a Pyongyang airport last August.
Football does not seem to be the only sport the young North Korean leader loves.
Kim threw a party for gymnasts and wrestlers who won gold medals in the Asian Games in Incheon and the World Championship in October 2014.
Kim also seems to be fond of ice skating as the North has constructed skating rinks in major cities, including the capital of Pyongyang. He has also built the large-scale Masikryong Ski Resort on the country’s east coast.
Analysts said the North Korean leader seems to be taking advantage of sports to win the hearts of North Koreans suffering from suppression and poverty.
“Taking advantage of the dynamic nature of sports, Kim, whose political legitimacy is weak, seems to be seeking to elicit people’s loyalty,” said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University.
In November 2012, Pyongyang launched a national sports guidance committee to build sports-related infrastructure and promote sports activities among its people. The committee consists of senior officials from the ruling Workers’ Party, government and military, indicating that Kim has prioritized sports.
The committee is led by Choe Ryong-hae, a secretary of the ruling party and close confidant of the North Korean leader. Jang Song-thaek, Kim’s executed uncle, was the inaugural committee chief.
Pyongyang is also seeking to strengthen sports education. In April 2015, it announced a plan to establish colleges specializing in sports in six cities — Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province; Hyesan, Yanggang Province; Ganggye, Jagang Province; Haeju, South Hwanghae Province; and Wonsan, Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)
