N Korean skaters in Olympic spotlight

TAIPEI: North Korea’s figure skaters Ryom Tai-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik are “friendly and kind and a little bit shy”, South Korea’s Kim Kyueun said Tuesday ahead of their hugely anticipated Olympic appearance.

The skater is competing with her partner Alex Kam in the pairs competition against the North Koreans at the Four Continents championships in Taipei this week, where the North Korean duo have been closely guarded from journalists.

Interest in them has skyrocketed since North Korea made a surprise announcement earlier this month that it was sending a team to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, even though the two sides are still technically at war. South Korea’s Kim told AFP she had spoken to the pair and admired their confident skating style.

“They are very friendly and kind and a little bit shy,” she said, adding that she had chatted to the North’s Ryom in the locker room at the tournament. The two young women are both 18. She wished them the best ahead of the Games and said it would be a “very good experience” for them.