Generations of hostility between North and South Korea, still technically at war 67 years after the start of the Korean War, looked to be coming to a head in recent months, with US talk of military options.
Recent bilateral talks, however, and the starting of the Winter Olympics, offer a rare sense of unity on the Korean Peninsula, with the nations’ athletes marching together and competing side by side in joint teams.
This is not only a rare sort of camaraderie for the Koreas, it’s downright unprecedented, with past Olympics and other international events rife with tit-for-tat demands and very little willingness to compromise.
Now, both are eager to compromise to make sure everything goes just right, with South Korea going to great lengths to ensure that North Korean officials, under UN travel bans, are allowed to attend.
While the amount of sanctions obstacles put in the way is rather ridiculous, the aplomb with which North and South Korea are tackling these problems can only be a good sign that both a serious about continuing rapprochement.