Paris Olympics: Taking selfie with enemy country's players proved costly, now they will have to bear the punishment for smiling

After winning a medal in the Paris Olympics, one could see the athletes' selfies on the podium, and quite truly, the whole world appreciated it, including how the rival players celebrated with each other by showing sportsmen spirit in the end. But there is a country that couldn't bear the fact that its players stand and pose, smiling with the athletes of its number one enemy country. That country is North Korea, whose table tennis players took a selfie with the bronze-winning South Korean paddlers on the podium after their silver medal victory. Now, one month later, North Korea has launched an investigation against the mixed doubles pair of table tennis.

Last month's table tennis competition in the Paris Olympics saw North Korean nominees Kim Kum-Yong and Ri Jong-Sik take the silver medal. Meanwhile, their South Korean counterparts Lim Jong-Hoon and Shin Yubin took the bronze medal. The Chinese pair of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha clinched the gold medal for this event. These three pairs, with broad smiles, went on taking selfies with the medals on the podium. The photo was later posted to the official social media of the Paris Olympics and went viral.

According to Patrika, the ruling party officials in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, did not like Kim Kum and Ri Jong smiling with the players of the enemy country. They have been blamed in an evaluation report of these two players. This matter was widely covered by the international media, which does not come under the policies of North Korea.

In fact, in North Korea, after returning from an international tournament, the ideological review of the athletes is done. In three phases, officials appointed by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports take feedback from each player and the report is submitted to the government. According to Patrika, this review begins immediately after the players return home. Its purpose is to know about the players' conduct abroad and their behavior with athletes from other countries.

On this matter, the international non-governmental human rights organization has demanded the intervention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They demand that the IOC should come forward to protect the athletes in such cases. It is the responsibility of the IOC to protect the players from all types of harassment and abuse mentioned in the Olympic Charter. North Korean players should also not be afraid of any such incident where they have shown respect or sportsmanship towards someone.