The official mascot of the Olympics held in Korea is a tiger and the mascot of the Paralympic Games is a brown bear.

The two animals are closely tied to the culture and heritage of Korea. Anyone familiar with Korean history would be reminded of the tiger and the bear of the Korean founding story of Tangun.

In the legend, Hwanung, the son of the Lord of Heaven, comes down to earth in order to bring truth and light unto humanity. Along this journey, a bear and tiger petition Hwanung to give them some way to become human. Hwanung grants them their wish, provided they live in a cave for a set period of time, avoiding sunlight and eating only mugwort and garlic. The tiger soon gives up, but the bear persists and eventually becomes a human woman. This woman goes on to wed Hwanung and bear Tangun, who establishes the Korean nation with the vision of Hongik Ingan, “to benefit all humanity.”

In an interview with UPI, Lee Hee-gon, head of Mass C&G, that developed the mascots, explained that the dynamic between the two mascots, Soohorang, the tiger, and his friend Bandabi, the bear, is mirrored in the Tangun story. “Soohorang is always curious and easily excitable, bounding left and right, but Bandabi is calm and collected, holding Soohorang back by the hand,” Lee told UPI.

Founding and creation stories are often overlooked, but have always been incredibly important in giving people a sense of identity, connection, purpose and more. The story of Tangun presents important lessons for Korean self-understanding, as it espouses principles and values that have bound the Korean people together through five millennia.

The mascots are not the only reference to Korean’s spiritual heritage. During the opening of the games, Korea celebrated its cultural heritage, of which many Koreans were unaware, including a mythical bird, the In Myeon Jo, which was also thought to connect the Heavens with Earth. Similarly, the 2018 Olympic symbol is the Korean letter ㅍ, the first letter in Pyeongchang, that also represents the harmony between Heaven, Earth and Mankind.

The Pyeong Chang Olympics have been a historic opportunity for both Koreans, in the North and the South, as well as the global community to remind themselves and each other of our common humanity and shared values. And in a time when the North and South Korean standoff-cum-détente has become the central narrative of the Olympic games, it makes sense to harken back to the original founding story, meaning and purpose for the Korean nation. In it, we might see new lessons about strength, perseverance and power as well as new pathways for a reunified Korean nation.

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North and South Korean athletes walk together under one flag during the opening ceremony at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics on Friday. Photo by Matt Healey/UPI

The participation of North Korean athletes in the Olympics, and the start of high-level talks between representatives of the North and South Korean governments, have raised hopes among many for a peaceful path forward. Almost everyone wants to avoid conflict. But we should not let the natural wish for peace blind us to the realities of what it will take to achieve it.

The Pyeongchang Games are leading Koreans to reflect on their past, on how far they have come, and the path they must navigate in the future to become one people once more.

North Korea today is a vestige of the Cold War, and a major source of instability in the region and world. Addressing these issues on the Korean Peninsula requires a clear vision for the endgame and a long-term strategy for getting there. Responding piecemeal to every threat or diplomatic overture from Kim Jong Un is not a coherent policy.

The Korean people have a common aspiration for one Korea — as expressed in the constitutions of both North and South. Unification of the Korean people, by peaceful means, must be the goal. The question is: What will be the nature of a unified Korea? What principles will govern it?

The answer may be found in a chapter of Korean history that preceded the current division. On March 1, 1919, while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, the Sam-Il independence movement swept the peninsula, with peaceful rallies proclaiming the Korean Declaration of Independence, drawing some 2 million people.

The vision they affirmed was of a united, independent, and democratic nation. They drew upon the ancient Korean ideal of hongik ingan — living for the benefit of all humanity — as a guiding principle that had long inspired Korean development.

Their aspirations are yet to be fulfilled. The division of the peninsula at the end of WWII was intended as a temporary administrative measure. Despite resolutions of the newly established UN General Assembly calling for Korea to be “united, independent and democratic,” the free elections promised were never held, and in 1948 separate governments were established in the North and South.

The dream of a free and unified nation has been deferred for more than 100 years. Next year, 2019, is the centenary of the 1919 independence movement. This is an opportunity to honor the vision and courage of the independence pioneers and to recommit to the goals they hoped to achieve.

The Pyeongchang Olympics have provided the chance for dialogue between South and North, but real progress must involve not merely a unified Korea, but one that fulfills the long-held Korean dream —an independent and democratic Korea.

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“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” —Wilma Rudolph (USA gold medalist in track and field in 1960)

As the PyeongChang Winter Olympics open on February 9, we are reminded that sports have the potential to bring out the best in humanity. From a toddler learning to share and pass the ball to her sibling to the Olympic sailor who disqualifies himself in order to save two competitors in a capsized boat, sports have helped people discover their innermost selves, developing their character and bringing us closer to each other and what it means to be a champion.

Here are 5 Olympic-sized lessons to remember on and off the court:

1. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work.

U.S. Men’s Hockey team defeats Soviets in 1980 on their miraculous journey to Gold.

The 1980 United States Men’s Olympic Hockey team would perform nothing short of a miracle when the team, comprised entirely of amateur and collegiate players, beat the Soviet powerhouse with pure resilience, commitment and legendary teamwork. On the path to defeating Finland for Olympic gold, the USA team would beat out competition like Czechoslovakia, scoring seven goals with seven different teammates.

2. Habits create victories.

In one of the most emotional and daring choreographed ice dances ever performed, a British couple made history in the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games when they earned perfect scores from every judge. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean had worked for so hard for so long that Dean said he couldn’t even remember the four-minute routine that would make them take home gold. When their time came, the athletes could depend on their habitual training and focus on putting their whole heart and emotion into their performance and goal.

3. The greatest victory is victory over oneself.

Becoming an Olympic athlete requires intense discipline and focus. But the road to self-mastery is not easy. Considered one of the greatest skiers of his generation, Austrian Hermann Maier suffered a devastating crash during a downhill competition at the 1998 Nagano Games. Despite this, Maier came back days later to claim gold in not one, but two events: the super-G and giant slalom. He would later overcome a life-threatening motorcycle crash and continue to achieve bronze and silver medals at the 2006 Turin Games.

4. Learn to lose well.

Equatorial Guinea native Eric Moussambani saw an Olympic-sized pool for the first time when he competed in the 2000 Summer Games only months after he’d taken up swimming. He qualified for the Olympics through a wildcard for athletes from developing countries, many of which lacked extravagant training facilities. While competing in the 100-meter freestyle qualifying race, Moussambani lost miserably, but his heart-wrenching perseverance amazed people from around the world.

5. Never. Give. Up.

Derek Redmond was a British runner who specialized in the 400 meters. Halfway through a semi-final race at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics he tore his hamstring. Fighting against severe pain, Redmond refused to give up, standing up to finish the race. His father jumped the railing from the stands to meet his son, supporting him until the end where he let him go so he could step over the finish line by himself.

Whatever role you play in sports, whether it is as a coach, player, or spectator, we are given opportunities to be inspired, developing and practicing leadership, character, creativity and responsibility. As we welcome the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, let us celebrate sportsmanship, pride in our national identities and humanity as one global family.

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It was in his New Year’s Day address that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared his intention to send a delegation to the 2018 Olympic games in PyeongChang this February, calling for the need to work together to ease military tension between the North and South.

Since then both countries have worked together to agree upon sending a delegation of 22 North Korean athletes that would march together with South Korean delegates under a flag with an image of a united Korean peninsula. The group includes ice hockey athletes who will form Korea’s first-ever unified team.

The “unification flag” features a blue outline of the whole Korean peninsula on a white background.

Many around the world hope that even beyond joint participation in the Games, this kind of soft diplomacy will help thaw the current geopolitical tensions surrounding the peninsula. It was not since 2006 at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, that North and South Korean athletes marched together, a memory held fondly by a South Korean athlete who helped bear that same “unification flag” in 2006.

More than a decade ago, South Korean speed skater Lee Bo-ra was surprised by her coach to be chosen as the co-flag bearer in the 2006 Winter Olympics beside North Korean male figure skater Han Jong-in. The historic decision was made only days before the opening ceremony.

Now, 12 years later, Lee has retired her skates to become a teacher in her hometown but still recalls the memory with hope. “The experience comes into my mind sometimes,” said Lee. “I want to see the South-North joint march again at the Winter Olympic Games. It will be more meaningful as Team Korea will be the last team [to enter] as the host country.”

International political tensions may support only cautious optimism amidst mixed feelings in the citizenship of the South, but International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach calls the Koreas’ choice to march together a “powerful signal of the wish of the peace.”

Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon speaks at the 2017 Economic Forum on One Korea in Seoul in December.

Next year, Korea will commemorate 100 years since the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919. Marching together may prove to be a significant milestone, however, it will take a concerted effort based on common principles and values to bring about peaceful reunification for the peninsula.

Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon outlined these historically significant principles and values in his book, Korean Dream. At the 2017 Economic Forum on One Korea held in Seoul, Dr. Moon stated, “We stand at a critical moment when the Korean people collectively, not only here in the South but in the diaspora and eventually in the North, must champion the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula. If we do that, then the global community, I am certain, will galvanize around that collective dream to support us in building one unified nation along the lines of our ancestral philosophy of Hongik Ingan, which is to build an ideal nation to serve all mankind.”

President Bach admits that sports alone cannot bring peace. However, the Olympics have historically provided a unique and powerful opportunity to demonstrate the greatest qualities of humanity, including respect and dignity for all.

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A worker in Seoul, South Korea, makes Korean unification flags, which depict a blue silhouette of the Korean Peninsula on a white background, at a sponsoring company of next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Photo by Yonhap

This is an excerpt from an article published by UPI on Jan. 24, 2018. See the full article at: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Voices/2018/01/24/Olympic-option-Winter-Games-could-be-a-win-for-Korean-unity/6191516811627/

Over the past few weeks, news from the Korean peninsula took a sharp turn from the “nuclear option” to the “Olympic option.”

As if someone in Pyongyang suddenly woke up and smelled the kimchi, the North began getting involved in what had been until quite recently basically a South-only event. The North will send 22 athletes to participate, who will march with the South under a flag with the outline of the united Korean territory. It will send an orchestra of 140 musicians. North Korean hockey players will join the existing South Korean team, to create a single “all Korea” team. Naturally, government figures, artists and other influential persons are going to attend.

Some see this as a co-opting of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics by the North, a last-minute insistence on sharing credit for what was almost solely the work of the South. Whether or not that is true, however, there is reason to welcome the new developments.

Historian and NGO leader Hyun Jin Preston Moon postulated a new view of Korean nationhood in his 2014 book Korean Dream. Critiquing the failures of both North and South, he calls for a unified Korean nation based on several core principles.

The process of nationhood must come from the aspirations of the Korean people, he argues, and it must be Korean-led. “The Korean people must take control of and shape our own national destiny,” he wrote, “through the unification process and lead our neighbors and the international community to support our efforts.”

See the full article at: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Voices/2018/01/24/Olympic-option-Winter-Games-could-be-a-win-for-Korean-unity/6191516811627/

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The following is an abridged expert from the address given to Ambassador for Peace on August, 11, 2012 in Seoul, Korea.

Yang Hak Seon won Gold in Gymnastic men’s vaulting. He is known for his signature move, “The Yang,” which to date, only he can perform.
Credits to Flickr, KOREA.NET 

The 2012 Olympics have recently come to a close. There, the Korean people showed their true character to the world. Although this is a nation of less than 50 million, it ranked fifth among all the gold medalist nations in the world—surpassing nations that have populations twice or even three times the size of this Korean republic.

So it’s not only the industry, such as Samsung and Hyundai that carry the Korean brand to the international community. It is not only the culture, the K-pop culture that is influencing many young people not only in Asia but also in the West. It is the Korean character that was exhibited at the highest level of athletic endeavor. This is where the spirit of the Korean people showed itself to the international community. It was really poignant.

• The gold medalist in wrestling, whose one eye was swelled shut during his trials to win the Olympics games, upon winning that medal said, “If you work hard, Haneul (heaven) will know. I worked hard and I think Haneul recognized my efforts.”

• The Korean gymnast who was willing to put his neck out on the line with the possibility of total, utter failure, who developed a new move that surprised all the nations of the world. Korea, up until that time, never won a medal in gymnastics.  Yet, there was a young Korean, once again, who was willing to challenge and strive for excellence and received the gold medal.

• It was a Korean soccer team,who never won a medal, who had the audacity to dream, to strive, to achieve, to compete, on an international scale, without any leg-ups, that won a bronze medal, defying all expectations. They did something that most considered impossible. It was an exhibition of Korean character.
  

  South Korean Soccer team, dubbed the “Dream Team” claimed bronze in their final match with Japan in the London 2012 Olympics.Credits to Flickr, joncandy

   

The burden that a Korean athlete representing this nation carries is a heavy one. Yet, this is a time in which they can be proud as a nation and proud in their character that has been exhibited to the world.

And what is that character?

•  It is a character of exceptionalism. Look at the number of gold medals that this small nation achieved, it is a character of exceptionalism. That means wanting to defy all the odds to accomplish something great, something remarkable, something that other people might think – other nations might think – is impossible, unachievable. It is married to their capacity to dream very big dreams.

• It is a nation of dreams. The Korean people have the audacity to dream the greatest dreams, and eventually, through their tenacity, through their dedication and devotion, they eventually bring that dream to its realization.

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