As the North Korean athletes have so far failed to score a single medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, they may face dark prospects of punishment and even imprisonment upon their return to the totalitarian state, based on historical examples under Kim family rule.
Fascist and Communist regimes have always considered international sporting competitions as political events by claiming their athletes’ successes as accomplishments of the regimes themselves. Similarly, lackluster sporting results would be seen as embarrassment to, or even betrayal of, the regime.
