On February 9th, North and South Korea made history by walking under a united flag in the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea, celebrating the start of the Olympic Games.

The 2018 Winter Olympics was the first time in history that North and South Korea have walked in unity in the Opening Ceremony. According to Express Newspaper, “This year, North and South Korea…will team up for a number of events including ice hockey, skiing, and figure skating.” The article states that their appearance has been “sporadic” at the Winter Olympics since 1964, missing a total of 6 games.

According to a CNN news article, “The South has been calling the North every day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. since communications ceased in February 2016 — and never getting an answer.” On January 9th, the two countries met at the 38th parallel line in early February to discuss topics such as the competing in the Games and “easing military intentions”. The article also stated, “South and North Korea have decided to make joint efforts for the unity of the people and reconciliation by establishing an environment for peace and easing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”

Students had positive opinions about the reconnection of North and South Korea.

Malik Gupta, a sophomore, said that the “rekindling is also a positive sign that no longer will the population centers have to live in fear of attack…instead they can look hopefully to the future as possible allies.” Another sophomore, Elizabeth Serra said she thought the rekindling was “a good sign because we haven’t heard much from or about them and suddenly here they are participating in a worldwide event.” Sophomore Melissa Jones, said “I think that establishing a dialogue is a positive step in the direction to rebuild a sense of unity between the two.”

So far in the Games, North Korea has not won any medals and South Korea has won 4 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze. Hopefully, in the next week, they will become more competitive.