The relationship between North Korea and South Korea had been strained for many years The two countries had even fought a war in the 1950s But in January 2018 just weeks before the Olympics representatives from both nations met They agreed that their athletes would march together in the Opening Ceremony Now as Moon watched they entered the stadium carrying a flag that represented a united Korea Behind Moon sat Kim Yo-jong She was the sister of North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un No member of the Kim family had visited South Korea before Moon hoped Kim Yo-jong’s presence was a sign of change He had greeted her with a handshake US vice president Mike Pence also attended the ceremony Pence and Kim did not shake hands or even look at each other But Moon remained 6
Kim Yo-jong top row second from left sits behind President Moon Jae-in during the Opening Ceremony hopeful The day before Moon had met with Pence and encouraged the United States to begin discussions with North Korea Bringing these two countries together would not be easy Their leaders had traded insults and threats during the past year Nevertheless Moon was determined He hoped the Games would plant the seeds of peace 7
A COUNTRY DIVIDED For For more than 1,000 years the entire Korean Peninsula shared a culture language and government In 1905 Korea’s emperor signed a treaty with Japan The treaty made Korea a protectorate of Japan Korea was supposed to keep some of its independence But Japan made Korea a colony in 1910 The Japanese government took away Koreans freedoms and forced them to adopt Japan’s language and customs Built in 1395 Gyeongbokgung Palace was the home of Korean emperors for hundreds of years 9 CHAPTER 2
