South Korean president sees ratings fall over Peace Olympics
THE decision to unify the Korean Peninsula under a common flag by fielding a joint ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics has seen the South Korean president’s approval ratings tumble.
The symbolic gestures, agreed by North and South Korean negotiators earlier this week during the first diplomatic talks in over two years, were intended to add to hopes of easing international tensions over Kim Jongun’s nuclear and weapons programmes.
But they appear to have sparked a public backlash in the South, with support for President Moon Jae-in, who has championed the “Peace Olympics” as a potential turning point in relations, falling to a four-month low, dropping from 73 per cent to 67 per cent.
The idea of marching under a flag symbolising a unified Korea has been rejected by many South Koreans who resent the perceived attempts by an undeserving North to steal the limelight at the high-profile sports event.
Only four out of 10 respondents said they backed the flag plan in a survey released on Thursday by Realmeter, the South Korean pollster.
It reveals a South Korean public far less enthusiastic about the idea of unity than previous generations.
The president’s move to integrate the two Koreas has been met with outrage, with some complaining that “the Pyeonchang Olympics have already become the Pyongyang Olympics”.
Athletes from the South Korean women’s ice hockey team, the only team to be asked to include players from the North, were reported to be “furious” earlier this week.