Marching towards peace
So far, it is true, there is little more than the promise of peace, expressed through gestures and symbols by the parties involved. And doubts remain, given the Korean peninsula's contemporary history of strained relations. Nevertheless, the spectacle of athletes of the two Koreas -- North and South -- marching together, shoulder to shoulder and under one banner, must have aroused strong emotions of hope among the thousands of spectators attending the opening ceremony of the 14th Asian Games in Busan on Sunday.
That probably explains the rousing applause from the thousands of spectators that greeted the unified Korean contingents as it marched into the stadium. Moreover, this event marks the first time that North Korea has demonstrated its willingness to participate in a major international sporting event held on its southern neighbor's soil -- the first time, in fact, since 1945. North Korea boycotted both the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul and the 1988 Olympic Games, also in Seoul.
The question that is presently on everybody's lips is: Does all this mean that a genuine thaw is taking place in relations between Seoul and Pyongyang and is the North really abandoning its hostile policies? If North Korea wants to demonstrate that it is serious in its intentions, there is no better place and time than to do so in Busan, at present. The Busan Asian Games make up the biggest Asiad ever held so far. Close to 5,000 men and more than 2,000 women are participating in the event, competing in 38 sports for 420 gold medals. Afghanistan and East Timor too are present at this event, making it the first time that all the 43 members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are represented.
All in all, Sunday's opening ceremony made a fitting opportunity for the two Koreas to display their desire for unity as the world waits for further evidence of a rapprochement. It can in this context also be noted that Pyongyang recently agreed to resume negotiations with Seoul over steps that have to be taken that could, eventually, lead towards a unification of the two Koreas. Furthermore, the recent visit to Pyongyang of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also seems to indicate that this is the case, that the North Korean leader -- in the realization, perhaps, that globalization has made living in isolation no longer feasible for one of the world's last surviving communist countries -- is seriously undertaking his own program of reform. Still further indication of Pyongyang's new "reformist" policies can be seen in its announced plan to designate a special economic zone at Sinuiju, on its Chinese border.
Unfortunately, it is not easy for either South Korea or Japan to forget Pyongyang's not-so-long-past antagonistic policies towards its neighbors, with the exception of China. On the other hand, it is not easy either for the world, particularly Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, to disregard the olive branches Pyongyang seems to be holding out. All that Asia and the world can do at this stage, is to hope that the apparent thaw that is taking place on the Korean peninsula continues. For with the demise of the last relic of the Cold War in Asia, hope of a better future for the billions of people who live on this continent will stand a greater chance of becoming reality. If this can be achieved, the Busan Asian Games will truly have achieved its fundamental goal.