Sportovní diplomacie KLDR: Únik z izolace?

• Published in: Politické vedy 2017, Vol.20 (3), p.45-69
• Main Authors: Vargová, Kateřina, Zákravský, Jiří
• Format: Article
• Language: cze
• Subjects: International relations/trade; Politics / Political Sciences; Politics and society; Sports Studies
• ISSN: 1335-2741

North Korea represents a widely discussed issue. Its regime was a subject of many studies, not just lately, considering its ongoing nuclear program and tense relations with the United States of America, but in a long run as well. Its self-posed isolation and agonistic relations toward the outside world along with ownership of nuclear weapons make North Korea a specific unit in world’s order. The article argues that DPRK in spite of its isolation is trying to break this self-posed state and establish contacts through sport and its sportsmen with various countries, even with the “hostile” ones like the United States of America and Japan. DPRK has the specific position in the international system and that makes it, in the perspective of sport, a more interesting subject to study. The article analyzed manners and habits of DPRK in the field of sports and sports diplomacy from late 80’s to present. The analyses focus on visible manifestations of sports diplomacy and goals of DPRK’s regime which is using its sportsmen and friendly matches and sports celebrities who are willing to get involved with the nondemocratic regime of North Korea to achieve breaking the isolation. Our results show that even in sports there are differences, where on one hand DPRK is trying to establish new contacts and on the other hand North Korea is not as open in the world of sports as it claims to be.