Pyongyang gives sports diplomacy full play

The 17th Asian Games opens on Sept 19 in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, and has been aptly themed "Diversity Shines Here". Diversity will indeed shine in Incheon but it will shine for unity on the Korean Peninsula, because this is the first time the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will participate in a sports event in the ROK since the 2005 Asian Athletics Championships in Incheon and, more importantly, this is the DPRK's first presence in a major global event since its leader Kim Jong-un assumed office in 2012.

The 273-strong DPRK delegation's first goal will, of course, be to win the maximum number of medals at the 16-day event. But it will also strive to improve inter-Korean relations. Since sports is a channel through which a country can exhibit the determination of its people, Kim attaches great importance to it and has urged the DPRK to become a major sports power.

Within months of assuming office in late 2012, Kim set up a special committee to prepare for upcoming sports events such as the Asiad. He even paid several visits to the training venues and encouraged the athletes to win glory for the DPRK in Incheon.

Seeing the participation in regional and international sports events as a key to communicating with the outside world, the DPRK will make its debut in the Oct 18-24 Asian Para Games in Incheon. Hence, the DPRK's participation in sports events should be viewed as its willingness to engage in global affairs.

Another highlight of the DPRK's participation in the Asiad will be its made-in-DPRK sportswear. Until now DPRK athletes used to wear jerseys, shoes and socks designed in and imported from other countries. Independently designed and indigenously made, the sportswear feature the colors red, gray and blue, along with the emblem of goshawk, the national bird of the country.

The overall design of the sportswear is a combination of global trends and Korean characteristics, and reflects the improvement of independent textile and clothing design in the country. In a way it shows that Pyongyang is going to greater length to revive its light industries such as clothing manufacturing to meet its policy of reviving the national economy and bringing the country back to "normal".

By deciding to attend the Asian Games in Incheon, the DPRK is sending a strong signal that it wants to mend ties with the ROK. After the diplomatic impasse, caused by the DPRK's third nuclear test in 2013, Kim is taking full advantage of the Incheon Asiad to push for reconciliation and unity on the Korean Peninsula.

The delegation of the DPRK Olympic Committee led by Chairman Kim Yong Hun, minister of Physical Culture and Sports, and the DPRK players group led by Kim Pyong Sik, vice-minister of Physical Culture and Sports, left Pyongyang on Tuesday to take part in the 17th Asian Games.

The Incheon Asian Games will surely help ease tensions on the Peninsula, and East Asia as a whole, if sports diplomacy can be transformed into deeper mutual trust.

The author is an associate professor at the Northeast Asia Studies College of Jilin University, Jilin province.