'The Deadly Selfie': Myths and Truths of the Korean Peninsula

The two neighboring countries of South Korea and North Korea, although sharing a common national identity and culture, still have many differences.

Two athletes Hong Un Jong from the DPRK and Lee Eun Ju from the South Korea.

However, the Rio Olympics created a favorable atmosphere for a rare event that politicians could not achieve for many years: two young female athletes - Hong Un Jong from the DPRK and Lee Eun Ju from the South - met, talked quite openly and left a memorable selfie. This photo was immediately shared widely on social networking sites and attracted a lot of public attention.

However, some media, for example, the British Daily Star, have predicted that, due to this photo, the North Korean gymnast will be severely punished upon returning home. Maybe even executed! Because, as the British newspaper predicted, the North Korean authorities may consider this a crime of treason, and in North Korea there have been people executed for treason. Commenting on this for Sputnik, Konstantin Asmolov, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies, said:

"It's stupid to make such predictions. But the Western public is ready to believe any nonsense about North Korea. They have already believed that a high-ranking North Korean official named Jang Sung-taek was executed by being fed to dogs! And the story about a young female athlete who could be executed for taking a selfie is similar. Of course, North Korea is a closed country, but such contacts with South Korean representatives should not be punished. Just note that several days have passed since the two girls took this photo. If the North Korean regime was as bloodthirsty as the Daily Star describes, Hong Un Jong would have been sent home from Rio. But this has not happened."

Expert Konstantin Asmolov notes that, paradoxically, the South Korean athlete is likely to receive punishment for this photo: "In South Korea, there is a so-called National Security Law. This law very strictly regulates contacts with North Korean citizens. By the way, the English version of the National Security Law is available on the Internet, everyone can access it. There you can see how South Korean citizens can be punished if they contact and take photos with representatives of the DPRK."

According to Sputnik