More Than Just a Game: The Politics of Domestic and International Sport in North Korea

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, North Korea has become a member of an eclectic group of states, resisting the push towards liberal democracy that has swept the world in the past 20 years or so, while also living up to its nickname of the Hermit Kingdom. The division of the Korean Peninsula has created an inward turning, offensive pariah with North Korea, in comparison to the booming, capitalist and outreaching South Korea. The caustic rhetoric, nuclear tests, border hostilities and negotiation deadlocks characterize North Korea as a state unlike others, and it is clear that they are treated as such. States such as North Korea are not easy to understand in a conventional way, therefore, this paper analyzes North Korea through the means of sport. The purpose of this study is to examine the modern history of North Korean sport, North Koreas domestic and international sport policies thoroughly and identify the political utilization it attains and pinpoint the convergence of both domestic and international sport. Furthermore, International sporting events are analyzed by means of game theory, testing the event for participatory, cooperative and engaging properties in the event of North Koreas participation or not. This paper presents North Korea use of sport as a tool for domestic stability and indoctrination while also as a mechanism for dialogue and an exceptional means to make progress in terms of cooperation and engagement, especially with South Korea.