AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan — For journalists covering the 2026 Asian Games, one of the biggest challenges may come before a single medal is awarded: what should they call North Korean athletes?
The question sounds simple, but amid rapidly changing relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, a single phrase could determine whether a reporter gets an interview — or sees the conversation end before it begins.
North Korea is sending roughly 180 athletes across 14 sports to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with competitors expected in football, weightlifting, table tennis, wrestling and other events. The two Koreas are also set to cross paths directly in competition, making contact between their athletes and journalists difficult to avoid.
Why the wording has become so sensitive
South Korean reporters have traditionally used terms such as “North Korea” or “the North” when referring to the country.
But North Korean athletes and officials have increasingly objected to those expressions when speaking with South Korean media.
At recent international sporting events, North Korean representatives have reportedly insisted that journalists use the country’s official name — the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) — or other terminology preferred by Pyongyang.
The sensitivity has intensified since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un formalized a major shift in inter-Korean rhetoric, describing the two Koreas as “two hostile states.”
That change has transformed what might once have been ordinary sporting interactions into encounters carrying a much heavier political meaning.
Reporters have already seen interviews cut short
The problem is not theoretical.
According to the current report, South Korean athletes and journalists recall friendlier interactions with North Korean competitors at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, when athletes from both sides could exchange greetings and casual conversation.
The atmosphere reportedly changed considerably by the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and during Olympic qualifying events.
North Korean representatives objected when South Korean journalists referred to the country as “North Korea” or “the North,” with one football coach reportedly saying he would answer questions only if the preferred terminology was used.
In another recent incident involving the Naegohyang women’s football team, the coach and players reportedly ended a media session after journalists used the disputed terminology.
For reporters covering the upcoming Games, that history creates a practical dilemma: use familiar terminology and risk losing access, or adjust the wording and potentially enter politically sensitive territory.
Even using Pyongyang’s preferred name is complicated
Simply adopting “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” does not completely solve the problem.
South Korea’s constitutional framework treats the Korean Peninsula as a single national territory and maintains unification as a state objective. That creates political and legal sensitivities around language that could appear to recognize North Korea as an entirely separate state.
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has used the expression “Hanguk-Joseon relations” when discussing inter-Korean ties, while President Lee Jae Myung has cautioned that even a single word can become politically contentious.
That leaves journalists navigating a narrow path between accuracy, access and political sensitivity.
There may be another way: avoid the name altogether
Some encounters suggest reporters do not necessarily have to choose one politically loaded label.
The current report points to instances where questions were framed without explicitly naming the country. North Korean athletes reportedly did not object to those approaches.
President Lee himself demonstrated the tactic in a May message congratulating the Naegohyang Women’s Football Club after its victory. Rather than naming North Korea, he focused on the players and the match itself.
For sports journalists, that could offer a practical middle ground: focus on the athlete, team or competition instead of turning every question into a dispute over national terminology.
The bigger story may go beyond language
The naming controversy comes as North Korea appears increasingly determined to project a different image of itself internationally.
Analysts cited by the Korea Times said Pyongyang could use the Asian Games to demonstrate confidence, reinforce its political narrative and present itself as a normal state on the international stage.
Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification said recent developments point to a stronger sense of confidence inside North Korea, while Kyungnam University professor Lim Eul-chul argued that the country is displaying a level of confidence and pride not seen in decades.
North Korea has also reportedly placed greater emphasis on sporting success as a means of promoting national unity since the COVID-19 pandemic.
That makes the athletes themselves more than competitors chasing medals. Their behavior, interviews and interactions can become part of how Pyongyang wants the outside world to see the country.
Can sport still bridge the Korean divide?
There is a striking contrast between today’s tensions and some of the more hopeful sporting moments of recent years.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, North and South Korean table tennis players attracted international attention after taking a selfie together on the podium — a brief image of sporting friendship despite the political divide.
The Asian Games could produce similar moments, but the environment is now considerably more complicated.
North Korea’s participation gives athletes from both sides another opportunity to meet. Yet the country’s increasingly rigid political language means even a routine interview can become a test of diplomacy.
For reporters, the lesson may be simple: the words used to describe an athlete can matter almost as much as the questions being asked.
And as competition begins in Aichi-Nagoya, the most revealing story may not be whether North and South Korean athletes meet — but how they interact when they do.
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