Are North Koreans welcome at the Winter Olympics?

Seoul, South Korea – When the 2018 Winter Olympics kick off in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang on February 9, delegations from each North and South Korea will march together below one flag.

The symbolic circulate comes alongside the formation of a joint female ice hockey team, the advent of a squad of cheerleaders from North Korea, and talks between officials from either side of the border.

Whereas these efforts are viewed as the main step in the resumption of talks between the two Koreas – South Korea is hoping North Korean officials preserve beyond the Games, which pause on February 25 – they’ve moreover been met with scepticism.

Anti-executive and anti-North Korea protests gain taken thunder on the streets of Seoul, South Korea’s capital, and diverse aspects of the country, with protesters calling for an pause to the participation of the North Korean delegation.

Some gain moreover questioned the formation of the joint hockey team and argued that South Korea’s executive needs to take a firm stance against Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, following threats and missile exams final one year.

Al Jazeera spoke to South Koreans to evaluate the mood on the streets of Seoul earlier than the scheduled arrival of the North Korean delegation to take half in Pyeongchang 2018.

Choi Byung Huk, eighty three, retired

Choi Byung Huk says North Korea needs with the map to encourage the Olympics [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

I’m retired, nonetheless I was a congressman in the nation-thunder sooner than and owned a runt retailer. 

I moreover doubted the different of a war [between North and South Korea] after I was seeing stress on the streets final one year.

As for the Winter Olympics, I mediate or no longer it’s all magnificent that North Korean delegates are brought over.

[South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s] administration is making an are trying to attach peace, so whoever the manager brings presentations that we’re hoping for peace.

Joo Youn-shin, 35, interpreter

Joo Youn-shin says she would no longer inquire something to alternate after the Games [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

They gain tried to enhance the connection between the two Koreas for half of a century, nonetheless nothing has modified – and I doubt the Olympics will alternate something.

I’m no longer anticipating something from it. I’m no longer enthusiastic because I’m reasonably obvious nothing will alternate.

I’ve never been skittish of war or the threats because it has been roughly routine for us. Folks bound about their each day industry. We manufacture no longer with out a doubt care.

Kim Jong-un is a dictator, and he is methodology too young to withhold watch over the country. I manufacture no longer mediate this would possibly increasingly doubtless perhaps final perpetually, nonetheless on the opposite hand, I’m no longer a political knowledgeable.

There are some who say these are the Pyongyang Games and no longer the Pyeongchang Games. It appears to be like to be like a political brand.

Kim Tae-hee, Sixty 9, retired

Kim Tae-hee says she gets ‘angry’ when Kim Jong-un ‘throws his tantrums’ [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

I accumulate angry when Kim Jong-un throws his tantrums.

Our troopers shouldn’t stand by myself when he acts like that. They must fight wait on. 

But we can no longer gain war. I’m hoping we can reach unification thru harmony. It be frustrating because we’re being toyed spherical by the North.

It be no longer magnificent that we’re correct standing peaceable whereas the North is checking out bombs. I’m no longer panicked of war, nonetheless if war happens, we’ll all die.

We’re aged, so or no longer it’s OK, nonetheless the formative years …

And I have confidence in regards to the delegation from the North would possibly perhaps gain to be allowed to take half in the Winter Olympics because we’re one in every of us.

We’re one in every of us so whoever wins … or no longer it’s engaging.

Jee Rapidly-bok, fifty five, manufacturing facility worker

Jee Rapidly-bok would no longer factor in a war between North and South Korea is doubtless [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

Even supposing the information makes it appear to be North Korea will launch a war rapidly, I in my thought manufacture no longer mediate that war will happen.

If North Korea begins a war, your entire world will reply.

[The] North has been threatening [the] South for a truly very long time, so final one year’s nuclear threats manufacture no longer appear to be preparations for war.

Even supposing there are some corrupt of us, I mediate or no longer it’s magnificent that President Moon is transferring ahead in this topic.

It is no longer with out a doubt crucial what, of us from either side [of the border] are of the same blood. So I’m k with the North participating in the Olympics.

Kim Hee-won, 60, English trainer

Kim Hee-won says the probability of war has hung over South Korea for many years [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

We manufacture accumulate stressful attributable to the scenario, nonetheless we now had been stressful our entire lifestyles.

Now we had been below these threats so on the total it roughly makes you numb. You’ve got no feelings.

On the opposite hand or no longer it’s no longer like the 1950s when there weren’t that many vehicles or of us. Now, this would possibly increasingly doubtless perhaps even moreover be very no longer at probability of evacuate, and we can all perhaps die sooner than we would possibly perhaps maybe hover.

I manufacture no longer gain something against our executive, nonetheless I mediate the North Koreans coming to the Olympics at [the] final 2d is taking abet. It appears to be like our executive is being historical by them.

I manufacture no longer with out a doubt gain worthy hope for diplomacy beyond the Winter Olympics.

I mediate North Korea will bound wait on to what it used to be like sooner than. My father, who now lives in the United States, crossed into the South at some level of the war with my grandmother and he, too, is with out a doubt upset with the South Korean executive.

And that’s in total what of us that witnessed the war with out a doubt feel like.

Jung Haeng-un, Forty eight, Korean Broadcasting System worker

Jung Haeng-un says sports actions can encourage attach the next future [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

[The news report shows] North Korea and South Korea confronting every diverse.

But this attach of relationship is no longer correct. I mediate or no longer it’s magnificent that a soundless device would possibly perhaps gain to be taken.

When there had been data experiences about nuclear warheads, I believed it used to be threatening. Now for the Pyeongchang Olympics, the two countries are transferring in opposition to a concordant relationship.

Attributable to this truth, I mediate we’re going the magnificent direction.

To connect a soundless atmosphere, I mediate this methodology of diplomacy is correct and the usage of sports actions to pave the next future is welcomed.

Kim Ki-hoon, 30, unemployed

Kim Ki-hoon says he helps Seoul’s are trying to enhance ties to North Korea [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

Since the Lee Myung-bak administration, I knew that the North-South household participants weren’t staunch.

I was in the militia when the bombardment of Yeonpyeong came about.

Up except the Park administration, I did no longer mediate they would perhaps gain correct household participants. But currently, with the Pyeongchang Olympics, no topic how worthy money it’s costing, the manager appears to be like to be making an are trying to alternate household participants, and I mediate that are trying is correct.

I feared the different of war after I was in the militia. I for sure misfortune the different of war now, too.

But despite the efforts, I manufacture no longer mediate or no longer it’s magnificent to attach a single [ice hockey team]. If their Olympic delegation is coming with the magnificent to take half, or no longer it’s k.

The Olympics is no longer always with out a doubt a thunder for political diplomacy, nonetheless if the athletes are right here to attach in the discipline, I manufacture no longer want to oppose them for political reasons. 

A Korean makes her thoughts particular at some level of a inform in Seoul [Faras Ghani/Al Jazeera]

With extra reporting by Hae Ju Kang