Smiles and scrums as North Korea flag goes up

INCHEON: North Korea’s flag was raised Thursday at the Asian Games athletes’ village as competitors from the reclusive state batted off journalists’ questions with polite smiles and stony silence.
Normally anyone waving the North’s flag or singing its national anthem in South Korea could face arrest under Seoul’s strict national security law.
But the North Koreans belted out their anthem, “Aegukga,” or Patriotic Song, as games officials from the South hoisted the flag in a ceremony in Incheon, along with the banners of China, Singapore, Thailand and Yemen.
North Korea’s presence has been one of the main talking points ahead of the Asian Games, which officially open in Incheon on Friday.
Their athletes and officials, mobbed by journalists at the flag-raising ceremony, appeared to be under instruction to stay tight-lipped — and a couple of burly minders were on hand to fend off persistent reporters.
Dressed in pristine white blazers and vivid blue trousers, and all wearing obligatory pin badges featuring North Korea’s dead leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the athletes responded to questions with polite smiles and total silence.
Only one official broke ranks, saying when asked how the delegation felt about the event: “Just look, you can see for yourself.” As the North Koreans made their way from the flag plaza to their accommodation block they were surrounded by a rolling maul of cameramen, photographers and reporters — but still kept mum.
The North Korean flag has already proved contentious at the Games, with organizers saying they will confiscate any found on South Koreans entering any of the venues.
Officials have also removed the North’s flag from the streets around venues after anti-Pyongyang activists protested about having the North Korean emblem flying among them.
The North Korean flag is displayed along with other national flags at the official venues, and North Korean delegation members can bring their flags to events.
Apart from their brush with the media, the North Koreans seemed rather bemused by a breakdancing performance at the ceremony.
While the Singaporeans, Chinese, Thais and Yemenis smiled and took pictures as South Korean star Psy’s hit “Gangnam Style” rocked out, the delegation from the North looked on blankly.
North Korea, who won six golds at the 2010 Asian Games, are sending 150 athletes to Incheon and almost as many many coaches and officials, one of the biggest delegations to the South since the Korean War was halted with an armistice in 1953.

Visa chase

Abhinav Bindra shot his way to Olympic success, but he was not able to cut Indian red tape so that he could be ready for the Asian Games.
India’s only individual Olympic champion says he has not been able to get vital rest and practice time before he goes into battle in the 10-meter air rifle event.
Games organizers were unable to send accreditation cards for Bindra and other members of the Indian shooting squad because the national federation had not sent their entries on time.
That ruined Bindra’s plans to fly in to Incheon directly from the world championships in Granada, Spain to prepare for what will be his final Asian Games appearance.
Instead, Bindra was forced to go back to India for a day to secure a Korean visa, arriving in Incheon on Wednesday evening, two days after his preferred date.
Bindra, who became a national icon after he won the 10m Air Rifle gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was in for another rude shock when he reached Incheon.
There was no Indian official to receive him at the airport to hand over his accreditation card or complete customs formalities for the release of his equipment.
It took more than four hours for Bindra to reach the athletes village where he was finally accommodated after local officials contacted the Indian delegation.
“It would have been nice to come in early but what can I do?,” Bindra, 31, told AFP.
“But you know what, I have got used to these things. Nothing surprises me anymore. The best I can do is concentrate on my event and give my best.” Bindra will be seen in action at the Ongnyeon International Range on Monday.
India’s shooters are hoping to extend their success at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where they won 17 medals, including four golds.
But the presence of powerhouses China and South Korea makes the competition tougher in Incheon. Four years ago, they won just one shooting title through double-trap marksman Ronjan Sodhi.
Bindra is not the only Indian competitor to suffer from the seeming apathy of Indian officials.
Late clearance of the 516 athletes and the sports ministry’s provision that accommodation and allowances will be provided for only five days before their competition starts has cut into practice times.
Practice time slots have been wasted since many competitors are yet to arrive in Incheon. Indian boxers missed their training sessions on Wednesday since they arrived only on Thursday afternoon.
“At least eight to 10 disciplines have suffered due to the new government order,” the contingent’s chef-de-mission Bhupinder Singh Bajwa was quoted as telling the Hindustan Times.
At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, India participated in 35 sports and won 65 medals, including 14 golds. They are competing in 28 events in Incheon.