US Expert Says North Korea's Media Will Paint Victorious Winter Olympics Story for Its Athletes No Matter the Results
South and North Koreans are competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics under Unified Korea with the South earning six medals and the North still at zero so far. According to an expert, no matter the final results of the prestigious sports competition, North Korea's media will "exaggerate the successes of its athletes."
North Korean athletes are still working at acquiring their first medal to be added to the six medals the South has won. Republic of Korea so far has 3 golds, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals all garnered by South Korean athletes. Leading the competition is Norway with 26 medals, followed by Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States.
According to Korean Studies expert Dr. Markus Bell, North Korea's media, controlled by its government and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, will deliver its own version of the 2018 Winter Olympics with their athletes triumphant. During an interview with Daily Star, Bell said, "It is possible that the state may exaggerate the successes of its athletes in Pyeongchang, but what is more likely is that the 2018 Winter Olympics will be touted as a diplomatic win for North Korea."
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The expert also speculates that North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun will publish reports on how the country wowed the world. Bell also mentioned that it is most likely that the Hermit country's media will attack the United States while painting a picture of achievements by North Korean athletes.
"It is possible that the US will be portrayed as loser in this scenario," Bell added. There are still no comments about Bell's statement from North Korea.
The United States so far has won five golds, three silvers, and two bronze medals with a total of 10 medals. It is still too early to determine if North Korean athletes will go home empty handed or not. A number of winter sports for the 2018 Olympics are still at hand with the event set to conclude on Feb. 25.
