Kim Jong-un sends army of cheerleader spies to Winter Olympics
Their squad must go through "ideological training" before making the trip.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will reportedly send dozens of spies to the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea next month. They will be tasked with monitoring the athletes' engagement with the outside world.
Around 400 people are expected to head south from North Korea for the games in Pyeongchang County on 9 February. Some 200 of the North Korean crew will be attending as cheerleaders and 140 will be there to play for an orchestra.
This leaves the remainder comprised of competitors (22), coaches (24) and media personnel (21). There will also be medical staff sent across.
Many of the undercover spies are expected to be cheerleaders in Kim Jong-un's "Army of Beauties". Their main task at the games will be to limit athlete interaction with "foreign influencers". Kim Jong-un is fearful North Koreans will use the Winter Olympic Games as a chance to defect to the South.
Speaking to Daily NK, former North Korean athlete and defector Lee Ji-young said the squad would "definitely include state security agents". "It has always been that way," Lee said. "They will do it this time as well. The number of security agents will increase to accommodate the number of other attendees."
The North Korean group will be given strict orders by the government about how they can act while abroad. To really send the message home, ideological training will be delivered before the trip.
"The ideological training is mandatory before going abroad for competitions," Young said. "During this stage, they weed out any individuals with ideological deficiencies or who they suspect may cause a problem abroad."
Speaking to reporters and South Koreans is forbidden. Kim Jong-un is also demanding that people travel in groups of at least three so that they can always be monitored. Other spies will be masquerading as North Korean reporters and medical staff.
The North Korean athletes will compete in cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, short track speedskating, figure skating and ice hockey.
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