From the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang to the Summer Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang: Inter-Korean connections in 2018 at Sport Mega-Events in Asia

This chapter concerns North and South Korean relations at the two major sporting occasions held in Asia in 2018, namely the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang and the Summer Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang. In this chapter, we assess the way in which the Winter Olympics and the Asian Games in 2018 influenced inter-Korean politics. This examination draws upon theoretical concepts from nationalism studies and international relations. These include the argument between primordialist and modernist perspectives on nationalism and the debate between realist and liberal internationalist views on world order. By utilising these notions, we hope to offer a reliable theoretical review of the politics and diplomacy at the two sport mega-events. With this in mind, our attention is paid to political contexts, diplomatic episodes, and inter-Korean sporting exchanges associated with PyeongChang (2018) and Jakarta-Palembang (2018). Then, we theoretically and critically consider the inter-Korean entente at these competitions. Our argument is that these sporting events epitomise the nexus between sport, nationalism, and diplomacy. A major sporting event does not merely mirror geopolitical and diplomatic issues related to the host nation. Rather, it can ignite the engine of a political movement for various causes under certain conditions.