Lim Jong-hoon, left, and Shin Yu-bin, second from proper, who received bronze in combined doubles desk tennis on the 2024 Paris Olympics, take a selfie with the North Korean and Chinese language groups at Enviornment Paris in France on July 30. Korea Occasions photograph by Web optimization Jae-hoon
Planning more likely to start for 2026 ATTU junior match
By KTimes
The South Korean authorities and the Korea Desk Tennis Affiliation (KTTA) are making ready to ship athletes to worldwide desk tennis tournaments in Pyongyang, with North Korea not too long ago confirmed because the host metropolis.
The federal government and the KTTA favor the athlete’s participation over a boycott of the 2026 Asian Youth Championships and the 2028 Asian Championships, each set to happen in Pyongyang, in response to officers from the federal government and KTTA, Sunday.
The plan may imply that in 2026, rising stars, and by 2028, distinguished gamers like 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist Shin Yu-bin might compete in North Korea’s capital.
North Korea’s sturdy want to host each tournaments was cemented on the Asia Desk Tennis Union (ATTU) Basic Meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, the place the internet hosting choice was unanimously accepted, alongside the election of KTTA Vice President Kim Taek-soo as ATTU first deputy president.
This initiative gives a channel for engagement amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following latest North Korean actions, together with balloon launches with propaganda leaflets and army collaboration with Russia.
A authorities official acquainted with the meeting course of mentioned, “It’s recognized that North Korea had a really sturdy want to host these two tournaments. Internet hosting each concurrently is uncommon, and it appears to be aimed toward showcasing the success of their combined doubles silver medal on the Paris Olympics, each domestically and internationally.”
Kim, who attended the meeting, mentioned, “I perceive that the North Korean delegation met with ATTU President Khalil Almohannadi within the resort foyer the day earlier than the meeting to precise their intent to bid solo for internet hosting.”
He added, “When Khalil requested if we had any objections to the North’s internet hosting bid, I mentioned, ‘Sports activities are sports activities, politics are politics,’ and that we had no purpose to oppose.”
The subsequent day, North Korea’s internet hosting bid and Kim’s election as ATTU first deputy president have been each confirmed, creating a possibility for South Korean athletes to go to Pyongyang throughout Kim’s time period.
Kim clarified, “The host nation should invite all ATTU member nations to those two tournaments; in the event that they don’t, they’ll lose the internet hosting rights. North Korea would have been conscious of those phrases after they utilized.”
He mentioned that the Korean staff should attend the 2026 Junior Match and 2028 Championships in Pyongyang to qualify for the World Championships, making participation important.
Ping-pong diplomacy
Officers from the Ministry of Unification and North Korea consultants see this growth as a constructive sign for inter-Korean relations.
The ministry mentioned this initiative may function a bridge to ease isolation. Kim additionally expressed hope for “ping-pong diplomacy” on the Korean Peninsula, drawing parallels to the function desk tennis performed in bridging divides between the U.S. and China.
Dongguk College’s North Korean Research Professor Kim Yong-hyun additionally famous that it was a good act towards lowering regional rigidity.
Nonetheless, consultants warning that North Korea might leverage the tournaments to advertise its regime. There are considerations it would manipulate match guidelines to focus on tensions or delay public bulletins to maximise influence.
Professor Kim steered North Korea may place itself as a “regular nation” by emphasizing South Korea as merely one other participant, thereby underscoring its independence whereas benefiting from international recognition by means of the tournaments.
Lim Jong-hoon, on the rostrum, who received bronze in combined doubles desk tennis on the 2024 Paris Olympics, shake arms with a North Korean participant at Enviornment Paris Sud 4 in France on July 30. Korea Occasions photograph by Web optimization Jae-hoon
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Occasions, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Occasions.
