I admit that I am not a sports fanatic, let alone, the Olympics. However, when I started working on the sports section of this newspaper when I was still in the Philippines, I became acquainted with the various athletes from different fields as well as the different sporting events nationally and globally. Moreover, a few months after I arrived here in Canada a year ago, I met a family of hockey fanatics which have family members involved in NHL – coach Kyle Rehman and retired player Curtis Glencross. Seeing their love for hockey made me interested in the game too, and there I started to become more interested in ice and snow sports. This interest became more apparent as the Winter Olympics is fast approaching. There are three sporting events that I am excited to see: ice hockey, curling, and figure skating.

I am quite excited for this year’s Winter Olympics especially since it will be held in South Korea, which is one of the countries I really want to go to. I have this certain thing for the South which I do not even know when or how it started. That is why hearing international news about escalating tensions between the South and the North makes me upset. I may not be a Korean, but there are friends and people I know living there whose safety I care for.

The current talk between South and North Korea regarding the latter’s interest to participate in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang is a happy news for people who wanted to see both Koreas unite for a common good. Since they are representing the people of Korea, it is amazing to see the governments work together to make this possible for the Korean people. It will be wonderful to watch if the plan of walking together, side by side, during the opening ceremony to represent their country will push through.

I, personally, love to see them at peace not only during the Olympics but in the coming years too. However, as politics is always involved, a few people are against this move. They say that it is NoKor’s plot to waver the ties of the South with its United States ally whose President Donald Trump is openly against the North’s Kim Jong Un.

Whether it is a political plot or not, I think that the United States should at least give way for this peace between the two Koreas even just at this time of the Winter Olympics. It is very seldom that we see these two divided countries unite for the sole purpose of strengthening the Korean heritage and pride. This is between the Korean government and it’s people, hence, outsiders like the US should stay out of it for now.

True that there is a nuclear threat going on and it can pose great threat to the United States especially that Kim Jong Un is open enough to admit that their practice launches do not target the South, but is directed to the US. This problem is between the US and North Korea, not between the South and the North. Furthermore, if the two Koreas will have a more cordial relationship to each other, families that were separated by the war will have a rare opportunity to see each other again. And if there is peace between the two Koreas, it will help boost the Korean culture and make it’s citizens happier knowing that amidst years of tensions, peace between the divided nation will finally come.

People only think about it’s negative impact to the US. But did they ever think that it can come the other way around too? If all goes well, South Korea – who has been an ally of the United States for years – can serve as a mediator between the US and NoKor if both Koreas can maintain a good relationship. It may be naive of me to say this especially if it concerns nuclear safety, but let the South and North unite… even for this momentary time./WDJ