Published : Feb. 1, 2018 - 14:00
A figure skating pairs duo headlined the list of North Korean athletes that arrived here on Thursday to start preparing for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik were among 10 athletes who landed at Yangyang International Airport via a South Korean chartered plane. They will check in to Gangneung Olympic Village in Gangneung, about 50 kilometers south of the airport. Gangneung is a sub-host city of all ice sports during PyeongChang 2018.
The Ryom-Kim tandem was joined by three alpine skiers, three cross-country skiers and two short track speed skaters. A dozen women's ice hockey players arrived here last Thursday to begin training with 23 South Koreans on their unified team.
North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok (L) and Kim Ju-sik perform at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan on Jan. 26(local time). (Yonhap)
Ryom and Kim are by far the most accomplished North Korean athletes here. Last weekend, they captured the bronze medal at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Taiwan, with a personal-best score of 184.98 points. This was North Korea's first medal at an ISU-sanctioned event.
The duo also won bronze at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan.
Ryom and Kim had actually qualified for PyeongChang on merit last September, but they didn't confirm their participation by an Oct. 30 deadline. After the Koreas agreed on the North's participation and the International Olympic Committee decided to invite North Korean athletes on special exemptions, Ryom and Kim were considered a logical choice.
They have also developed friendships with the South Korean pairs team of Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan. They met in Montreal last year during their summer training, and the South Koreans' coach, Bruno Marcotte, also worked with the North Koreans.
Ryom will celebrate her 19th birthday Friday.
Other North Korean athletes don't have quite the credentials that Ryom and Kim do.
In short track, Choe Un-song will compete in the men's 500 meters, and Jong Kwang-bom will enter the men's 1,500m. Choe is regarded as the better of the two, but he will likely be well out of contention in the Olympics.
In alpine skiing, two men, Choe Myong-gwang and Kang Song-il, and one woman, Kim Ryon-hyang, will all compete in giant slalom and slalom events. These are technical disciplines within alpine skiing. No North Korean skier is considered skilled enough to compete in speed events, such as downhill and super-G.
Elsewhere in cross-country skiing, Han Chun-gyong and Pak Il-chol will participate in the men's 15-kilometer freestyle, and Ri Yong-gum will race in the women's 15km freestyle. (Yonhap)