Taking a selfie photo could be punishment for North Korea's table tennis medalists. Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
The North Korean table tennis silver medalists who joined in a love selfie with other competitors in victory celebrations at the Paris Olympics could face disciplinary action for a "broad smile" from the podium.
According to the Telegraph report, North Korea’s Kim Kum-yong is under scrutiny for smiling broadly in a victory photo next to South Korean athletes, who hail from a rival country.
Table tennis partner Ri Jong-sik could face consequences for smiling with the gold medal winners from China and bronze medal winners from South Korea after stepping off the podium.
The photo of the athletes from two warring countries went viral around the world for its moment of sportsmanship.
But not in North Korea, which is helmed by dictator Kim Jong Un.
Since arriving home on Aug. 15, the North Korean team is undergoing a month-long “cleanse” from “exposure to contamination,” the Daily NK reported.
Such a “cleanse” is reportedly a three-stage ideological assessment process by the country’s Ministry of Sport, targeted at ridding the players of any remaining influence of “non-socialist” culture.
North Korean athletes were reportedly given “special instructions” not to interact with South Koreans or other foreign athletes at the Olympics, or face consequences.
If the players contradicted the Central Party’s directives, they could be penalized, though the punishment wasn’t clear.
When North Korea’s football team failed to score a goal at the World Cup in 2010, they were publicly admonished and had to bear a “six-hour barrage of criticism,” according to the Telegraph.
The team’s coach was banished to construction work.
北韓乒乓球獎牌得主因在奧運會上與對手自拍時露出「燦爛的笑容」而面臨懲罰
在巴黎奧運會上與其他選手一起慶祝勝利的北韓乒乓球銀牌得主可能會因為在頒獎台上「燦爛的微笑」而面臨紀律處分。
根據《每日電訊報》報道，北韓選手金金庸因在一張勝利照片中與來自敵對國家的韓國運動員一起露出燦爛的笑容而受到密切關注。
乒乓球搭檔李鐘植在走下頒獎台後，可能會因與中國金牌得主和韓國銅牌得主微笑而面臨後果。
來自兩個交戰國家的運動員的照片因其體育精神而在世界各地瘋傳。
但在獨裁者金正恩領導的北韓卻不然
據《朝鮮日報》報道，自 8 月 15 日回國以來，北韓團隊正在進行為期一個月的“淨化”，避免“接觸污染”。
據報道，這種「清洗」是該國體育部進行的三階段意識形態評估過程，旨在消除運動員殘留的「非社會主義」文化影響。
據報道，北韓運動員接到“特別指示”，不得在奧運會上與韓國或其他外國運動員互動，否則將面臨後果。
如果球員違反了中央的指示，他們可能會受到處罰，但具體處罰方式尚不清楚。
據《每日電訊報》報道，當北韓足球隊在 2010 年世界盃上未能進球時，他們受到了公開訓誡，並不得不承受「長達六個小時的批評」。
該隊的教練被調往建築工地工作。
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